Tied by Fate
by pnaixrose
Summary: [S&S E&T] Two strangers are so connected to each other somehow that they can actually feel the other's happiness, sadness, fury and pain. The thing is...their lives were exact opposites.
1. Pain and Happiness

**Tied by Fate  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer:** Card Captor Sakura and its characters do not belong to me. The original anime/manga plots do not belong to me either. They are copyrighted to CLAMP. Please don't sue.

* * *

**Chapter 1:** Pain and Happiness

_There were three sudden shots penetrating the still silence. Then blood. A lone figure slowly fell to the cement with a horrid thud as blood trickled from the fatal wounds on his body. His intense amber eyes were grieving as he stared at the frightened, little boy next to him. Their eyes, identical to each others, looked straight into the other's, almost as if they were talking to each other telepathically. The man closed his amber orbs as the pool of blood beneath him spread. He managed a weak whisper to the boy._

_"S-Sorry..."_

_Then his body stilled, his breath stopped and the boy with dark brown, ruffled hair sank to his knees next to the immobile body. His breath was quick and panicked and his deep amber eyes looked at the man sorrowfully._

_"...why...?"_

_-_

** _Tomoeda_ _Japan_**

Kinomoto Sakura's brilliant, emerald eyes opened as the frightening dream ended. She abruptly sat up in her bed, sweating greatly and panting. After scanning her surroundings and spotting her belongings and her bed, she sighed and fell back into her comfy bed, closing her eyes tight. This has not been the first time she had that horrid nightmare. Even so, the scene scared her out of her wits and she wrapped the comforter of her bed around her as if it will make her safe. Wouldn't you be terrified if you dreamed about a stranger dying and his son, witnessing the scene, kneeling next to his dead body?

It all felt so real. She could almost see the red blood slowly dripping down off the man's clothes as his piercing, amber eyes narrowed in pain. She wondered if this was a premonition, which was never strange or odd for her to get. You see, Kinomoto Sakura may seem like an average girl but…

"Ohayo, Sakura!"

She opened her eyes at the sound of the familiar voice to see a flying yellow little teddy bear with little white wings. This is only one of the many things that make her life complicated than others' lives.

You see, unlike ordinary teenagers, she had magic. But she had not always known she had gifted with it. It had begun one day when she was only ten years old. She had opened the mysterious Clow Book that Clow Reed, a powerful sorcerer from long ago, had made. The Clow Book held all the different Clow Cards, which Clow Reed had also made with his powerful magic. Each Card had its own personality and its own unique power. Soon, her quest became clear, to catch all of the Cards that had reawakened. And with the Clow Book guardian, Cerberus, and her best friend, Daidouji Tomoyo, she was able to do just that.

Soon, Sakura had collected all the Cards. Tsukishiro Yukito, Sakura's childhood and current crush and brother's best friend, was surprisingly the mysterious and distant Yue, the second of Clow's guardians and the judge. To make a long story short, Sakura won Yue over with her down to earth personality and she became the Card Mistress.

But the story doesn't end yet. Strange things started occuring again and soon she was changing the Clow Cards into "_Sakura Cards_." In the end, Hiiragazawa Eriol, her foreign classmate from England, but also half the reincarnation of Clow Reed, gave her a final test. She passed by changing all the Cards into Sakura Cards. Eriol told them that this whole thing was for Sakura to turn all the Cards into Sakura Cards so that they would be all hers. But the other reason was to give half his powers to Sakura's father who surprisingly was the other half of Clow Reed's reincarnation. Eriol was no longer the most powerful magician. He was now was one of Sakura's best friends, in fact.

So all in all, she's had a very exciting past. Nothing too weird has happened for a long five years, until a few months ago when the terrible dreams started occurring.

Sakura smiled as she pushed the dream into the back of her mind, not wanting to ruin the unusual good mood of Kero. Regularly, mornings would be hectic since Sakura was always tardy for everything she attended. During the rush, Kero would be somehow awoken by his Mistress's footsteps and was groggy throughout the rest of the morning, annoying her with complaints and whines. " Ohayo Kero-chan!" she said happily, now fully awake.

Kero's facial expression was cheery and all smiles. He pointed a tiny paw at Sakura. "Guess what day it is today!" he said excitedly.

Sakura's emerald eyes brightened and glimmered with realization. "It's April the first!"

"That's right! Happy Birthday, Sakura!"

Sakura jumped up from her bed happily. "Hoee! It's my birthday!" She grabbed Kero's little paws as she danced around the room joyfully, making the little guardian impossibly dizzy. "I'm sixteen today!" she said, although she sounded like a five-year-old on Christmas day.

Kero's eyes swirled with dizziness as he pleaded, "S-Sakura! Stop!"

Sakura giggled as she stopped spinning around. "Sorry. I'm just so excited. I'm lucky it's a Sunday today! Just think! My birthday is on a Sunday with no school!"

Kero smiled after his dizziness wore out. It was a good sight to see his Mistress so happy. Although, Sakura was basically always like this: cheerful, dense, innocent, and child-like even though she is now sixteen. She was one of those happy, optimistic types of girls who never really thought badly about anyone unless they do something that she disapproved of. But there were barely any people like that, so Sakura got along with everyone. Kero _did_ worry though. For some strange reason, even though Sakura seemed to be the luckiest girl in the whole world, something seemed missing in her simple, yet complicated life. The only thing he could think of is that she never really had a boyfriend. But it was known to almost everyone that she had a crush on Yukito, Yue's temporary form. Maybe he was just hallucinating.

Sakura glanced at the clock near her bed and almost gasped. 8:30AM.

"Wow. It's pretty early for you to wake up on a Sunday. Usually, you wake up at noon or something. Why are you up so early, kid?" Kero asked teasing her a bit. But when he saw that she didn't laugh or even crack her signature smile, he knew something was up.

Sakura stared at one spot on the floor, recalling that horrible dream in her mind. She shivered involuntarily. "I kinda had that freaky dream again," she said shakily.

Kero's small, beady eyes widened. "What! Again! It must be really important then. You've been having those dreams for months. Do you think it's one of those Card Mistress problems?" he asked worriedly. He had been content with their life now. It was peaceful and everything was just normal. He liked it like that. Now that these dreams are happening, he didn't know what to expect.

"I don't know…" she answered distractedly.

Suddenly Sakura heard her father calling for her downstairs for breakfast. She bid a small farewell to Kero but not before promising to get some food for the hungry little guardian.

-

Sakura started down the steps with a content smile on her face, determined to keep the dream in the back of her head. But as she reached for the handrail and went down the first step, she suddenly felt pain in her chest.

"N-No…not again!" she whispered to herself quietly so that no one would hear her.

She shut her pained eyes tightly and leaned against the railing, waiting for the pain to subside as it always did before. Images of an incredibly handsome, young teen sadly looking out a window flashed in her mind. He was feeling sorrow…unbearable sorrow……again.

As the sharp pain in her chest went away, she panted as she opened an eye weakly. "H-He's sad again," she said quietly to herself.

She started down the steps once more, trying to forget the sudden images she had seen and the aching she had felt.

This was another thing that made her different from others. She would randomly feel awful pain at any time and any place. She couldn't explain this though, unlike her magic and the Cards. All she knew was that it was a pain beyond compare. Whenever she had these sudden, sorrowful aches, she would suddenly see images of a boy with cold, deep amber eyes looking sorrowful. It was always the same exact boy…the boy from her nightmares. She knew that somehow she was connected to him for she realized that it was always his pain and sadness she felt, not her own. She never told anyone about this, not even her family, Eriol, Tomoyo or Kero. She didn't want them to worry on top of everything else.

-

Sakura smiled as she sat down at the table, momentarily forgetting what happened on the steps. Kinomoto Fujitaka was already there getting the table ready. He smiled at his teenage daughter with a teasing tone of voice.

"Are you _that _excited to be turning sixteen, Sakura? You haven't woken up at 8:30 in the morning in years." His soft brown eyes, matching to his soft brown hair, twinkled with playfulness behind his glasses.

"Otou-san!"

"He's right, you know. It's amazing to see kaijuu up and about this early in the morning," a familiar voice said coming from the steps. A tall, young man appeared and sat down at the table. Kinomoto Touya, Sakura's older brother, stuck his tongue out slightly at his little sister with a smirk on his lips

Sakura rolled her eyes and stomped on his foot which caused him to yelp.

Fujitaka smiled at his children's behavior. They've been like this for years even after Touya had moved out for college that he didn't even bother scolding them anymore. "Alright, alright, you two. Eat up your breakfast," he said, setting the plates on the table.

Sakura's eyes glittered endlessly as she saw the food. "Otou-san! Pancakes! My favorite!"

She immediately grabbed her fork and placed a couple of pancakes on her plate.

Meanwhile Touya was yet again at it with his teasing. "See? Only a kaijuu would eat this much pancakes! I swear, if Yuki ever saw you like this…"

Sakura immediately turned red the instant he heard Yukito's nickname. Her heart pounded as she pictured his perfect smiling face. "O-Onii-chan!" she said angrily yet she was embarrassed.

Touya made a face as he took a piece of his pancake and ate it. "Oh, is the kaijuu angry now? I better warn Yuki when he comes over…"

Sakura's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Yukito's coming _here_!"

"Of course, Sakura. You should know that Tsukishiro-san wouldn't want to miss your birthday," Fujitaka said.

Sakura beamed, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks. _'Yukito, pancakes, no school…how much better can my birthday get!'_ She picked up a pancake with her fork and ate it happily.

"Sakura, are you planning to do anything today?" Fujitaka asked.

She placed another piece of pancake in her mouth. "Um, I don't know. I'll probably just hang out with Tomoyo and Eriol today but they haven't said anything yet."

She was wrapped up in her pancakes and on the thought about Yukito that she didn't notice her father and her brother glance at each other and smile.

Suddenly the moment was lost as they heard the repeating sound of the telephone. "Oh, it's the phone. I'll get it!" Sakura shot up from the table and headed towards the phone in the living room.

When she was out of the kitchen, Touya grinned. "Wow, she didn't even ask about her presents."

His father nodded. "That's just how Sakura is. She doesn't care about material things. Just being with the people she loves and little things like her favorite breakfast satisfies her." Fujitaka then added with a little laugh. "The person she'll marry will be lucky! He won't have to please her as much with clothing and jewelry."

Touya growled for a second, hearing about her getting married. He was an over-protective brother, always caring and worrying about his family. But his face softened as he saw a picture frame with a picture of his beautiful deceased mother in it. "She's just like Okaa-san."

-

The telephone ringing didn't cease until Sakura picked up the phone. "Moshi moshi?"

"Sakura! How's your sixteenth birthday so far?" a familiar, gentle voice replied cheerily.

Sakura smiled at her friend's excitement. "I had pancakes for breakfast, Yukito's coming over later, and better yet, no school today!"

She actually felt Tomoyo grin at her through the phone. "Sakura, that's great! Oh, we have to meet today! I made these perfect little outfits for kawaii Sakura-chan! Oh, I can't wait to video tape you wearing them!" Tomoyo said ardently.

Sakura sweat dropped. She should've known Tomoyo would make her more outfits for her birthday. "A-Arigatou."

"So, is it okay if you come over here soon? I really want to see how you look in these outfits!"

Sakura laughed. "Okay, okay. I'll come over. What time?"

"Oh, any time is fine by me. Umm…how about ten?"

"Okay, I'll be there at ten."

"Arigatou, Sakura-chan!"

"Anytime, Tomoyo."

And with that they both hung up the phone.

She smiled as she went back into the kitchen. She loved her life. I mean, what else can you wish for? She had great friends, a great family, the Cards, Kero, Yukito-san, a great reputation at school…she just felt that something was missing. The image of the dream yet again flashed through her mind. The memory of her sudden pains flashed through her mind, too. Were they clues to what she was missing?

She decided not to worry about anything like that today. After all, it was her birthday and she deserved to just kick back and relax. Today was going to be great! A whole day just to herself. She was kind of relieved to know that nothing interesting was going to happen today.

What she didn't know was this was the day that would change her life.

-

Sakura leisurely walked to Tomoyo's house, looking at the scenery and the people around her. It was a little past ten already but Tomoyo wouldn't mind. She knew well about Sakura's reputation on being late for everything.

_'A couple more minutes won't hurt…'_

Sakura loved Sundays. Everyone seemed more relaxed and laid back on Sundays more that any other day. It was probably because children had no school and most adults had no work or a half day of work. It was a day of relaxing for everyone and Sakura loved it. As she was caught up in her thoughts and in some young children playing tag across the street, she accidentally bumped into someone who was coming out of a bakery.

"Ah, gomen ne," she apologized.

"Sakura-chan?"

Her emerald eyes lit up as she realized who it was and she turned as red as a tomato. "Y-Yukito!" She felt her heart skipping two beats.

The tall, silver-haired man with glasses covering his grey eyes smiled down at her. "Sakura! Happy birthday! You're sixteen already, ne?"

Sakura couldn't help but blush even more after seeing his smile. "H-Hai!"

"Time goes so fast!" Yukito said. Then with a wink he said, "Any boyfriends yet?"

Sakura laughed nervously. "No!" It was then that she noticed the white box in his arms. "Ah! You bought a cake?"

It wasn't a surprise. Yukito always had some kind of food with him. Not only did it help him, it helped his other form, Yue, get more strength.

Yukito nodded with a smile on his face. "It's for my really good friend."

"Oh, I hope I didn't squish it when I bumped into you!" Sakura exclaimed worriedly.

"Don't worry Sakura. Even if it did get squished I'm sure the person getting it will be very happy anyway," he said grinning.

Sakura tilted her head to the side. "Hoee?"

Yukito chuckled at her innocence. "Well, I'm going to see Touya. Ja ne, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura waved as he walked away, carrying the box in his arms. She sighed, thinking that whoever received that cake from him is extremely lucky! Yukito was an amazing, nice person. The nicest guy she's ever met. And it's been quite a number of years since she first met him. She met him when Touya had his first day of high school and he had already made friends with Yukito and brought him to the house. She was only in elementary back then, but it was love at first sight for her! But still, something never felt right as she thought about her love to Yukito. She felt as if something was missing. She didn't understand it though, she was certain that Yukito was definitely the one she loved, her childhood crush.

Sakura started towards Tomoyo's mansion again, her thoughts cruising through her mind. When she finally got to the gate it was 10:30. She had spent more time than she thought talking to Yukito. Plus, she had walked so slowly, too.

Hoping that Tomoyo wasn't mad, she pushed the button by the gate and a voice was heard asking for Sakura's name. After giving her name, the huge gate was slowly opened and Sakura hurriedly ran to the steps, trying not to get even tardier than she was already.

She rang the doorbell and a pretty maid let her inside the mansion. Sakura smiled and thanked the maid as she went towards Tomoyo's room. Tomoyo's house was really large and grand with its famous, expensive paintings, vases, and furniture. But Sakura was used to all this already. Tomoyo's mother was the president of a famous company so they were really rich. Tomoyo never bragged about her riches though. She was really modest and barely anyone knew about that she was Daidouji Sonomi's only daughter. But even with all this money, Tomoyo never _ever _bought clothes. She always made them herself. She especially made lots for Sakura. She loved video taping the 'kawaii' Sakura in the clothes she made for her.

Sakura knocked on Tomoyo's bedroom door before entering slowly. At once she saw Tomoyo's canopy bed, her singing trophies, her high class computer and radio and her large windows, where the midmorning sun shone through. But Sakura went straight into Tomoyo's private walk-in closet where she knew Tomoyo was waiting. As she opened the door, at once she saw the hundreds of different clothes on racks, different shoes in one corner of the room, jewelry and accessories in another and yet the hats and jackets in another.

"Tomoyo?" Sakura said cheerily.

She found Tomoyo in the back of the room where she was seated on a small bench in front of a large wall mirror. Sakura saw her pale and delicate skin reflecting in the mirror, her long raven black hair cascading over her shoulders and her amethyst eyes looking determined as she put some finishing touches on a dress.

"Ah, Sakura. Late again? Here, I was just fixing one of your outfits," Tomoyo showed her the light green dress that she was sewing with a smile.

Sakura gasped. It was so normal compared to Tomoyo's other creations, especially the ones she made for Sakura's Card Capturing and Card Transforming days. Once, Sakura had to wear a red bunny outfit! Sakura cringed at the thought.

Tomoyo giggled, noticing Sakura small gasp. "Sakura, my fashion designs changed over the years. That means no more bunny suit," Tomoyo sighed a bit in disappointment, "But you looked so kawaii!"

Sakura only laughed nervously, secretly sighing with relief.

Tomoyo put on a bright smile. "Oh don't worry, Sakura. I still have the video tapes of you in that bunny suit."

The Card Mistress groaned in embarrassment as Tomoyo laughed.

"Anyway, Sakura. Let's get started with the clothes!" Tomoyo said excitedly, "I've got an outfit for every occasion!"

Tomoyo threw a barrage of clothes at her as Sakura tried to quickly changed into them in a small dressing room. They laughed, reminisced old times, and talked about everything. Time flew by and as they finished up the clothes, hats, and jewelry, there was one more dress. It was the beautiful dress that Sakura saw Tomoyo working on when she first came in. Sakura smiled as Tomoyo tossed it over to her.

"Last one, Sakura. I worked really hard on this one."

Sakura went into the dressing room and in a brief moment she came back with the light green dress on.

The light green dress had thin spaghetti straps that crossed behind her back and hugged on her upper body perfectly; not too tight, not too loose. It fell down her legs loosely but beautifully and slightly touched the floor. The prettiest thing though was the small peony stitches in a bottom corner of the dress. The flowers were sewed so perfectly and professionally, no one would have ever thought that Tomoyo had done it herself.

Tomoyo had star eyes as she watched her best friend wearing the dress. "Oh, Sakura! It's beautiful!"

Sakura laughed as she looked at herself in the mirror. "I really like this one."

"That's great! I don't know why but I had the sudden urge to make you a green dress. I wasn't sure if you would like the color green or the peonies at the bottom, though."

"Well, I love it!"

"Good," Tomoyo replied happily and then her eyes glittered, "It's a dress for Sakura's first date as a sixteen year old!"

Sakura blushed embarrassedly. "I don't think I'll be going on a date anytime soon," she said with a slight laugh.

Tomoyo pouted. "But you _have_ too! Don't worry," she added winking, "I'll hook you up with someone!"

"Tomoyo!" Sakura yelled. It was embarrassing enough that in all these years she hasn't even gone on a single date. Getting a friend to get a date for her was pitiful! "Where'd you get the idea for the color green or the peonies anyway?" Sakura asked as she stood in front of the mirror and turning around to see the dress at different angles.

"Oh well, I was talking to Eriol before and he was saying that he had a friend who loved the color green and peonies. Eriol said that he was one of the most interesting people…"

Sakura looked at Tomoyo with confused eyes.

Tomoyo shrugged as she saw Sakura's bafflement. "I don't know what he meant either. But he seemed like he really liked the guy. I mean, he talked as if they were best friends or something."

"Really? Eriol never told me that."

"Well, I don't know how he could've made friends with the guy. He lives in Hong Kong."

"Maybe they knew each other when they were little?"

Tomoyo shrugged. "Maybe. Well, all I know is that the guy has amber eyes and brown hair," she replied, "I bet he looks hot as heck with eyes like that!" she squealed.

Sakura looked at her friend, not noticing Tomoyo's squeals as she recalled her freaky dream. Tomoyo had said...amber eyes and brown hair. He seemed a lot like that guy from her dream. But, she could be overreacting. Lots of people probably had amber eyes and brown hair. Yeah, she was definitely just thinking too hard.

"What's wrong?" Tomoyo asked as she started folding the outfits neatly.

"Nothing much. That guy you just mentioned just sort of reminds me of-"

"-that person in the dream?" Tomoyo finished.

"Yeah. I had the dream again today."

Tomoyo looked at Sakura worriedly, her amethyst eyes reflecting the bright light of the walk-in closet. "Oh, Sakura. Please be careful, okay? Whenever you have one of these dreams…"

But the other girl only smiled brightly. "Yeah I know, I know." Sakura glanced at her watch and her eyes widened. "Whoa! It's already two o'clock! Well I think I've better get home. Otou-san and onii-chan might want to do something for my birthday. Maybe go out to eat or something."

Tomoyo smiled. "Okie dokie. But at least help you bring all these clothes."

"It's all right, Tomoyo. You don't have to."

"Sakura, look at all these clothes!" Tomoyo exclaimed, pointing to the two big bags filled to the top with clothes and accessories.

Sakura laughed. "Okay, okay," she agreed.

Tomoyo giggled along with her as she grabbed one bag of clothes and Sakura brought the other. Before they left, Tomoyo took her camera bag, knowing something good was about to happen.

-

Eriol was contentedly reading a book on the living room couch as Spinel Sun, or _Suppi_, his guardian, floated in and landed on his shoulder. It observed the book in his master's hands with confusion.

"What is that book? I don't think even I have read it," the small cat said.

"It's Clow Reed's journal, "The sapphire-eyed boy responded, grossly interested in the book.

Suppi raised an eyebrow. "But Master. Ever since you've helped Mistress Sakura and you've given half of your powers to her father, you've tried to move slowly away from the responsibilities of being Clow Reed's reincarnation. You want to be a normal, teenage boy now, right?"

Eriol only grinned, looking up from the book. It was amazing how well the guardian knew him.

"Then it's the truth? You're trying to be a normal teenager now?"

He nodded. "Although I will always be Clow Reed's reincarnation, I _am_ still a teenage boy. I might as well make the fun of it, right?"

"Well, you've been trying so hard to be normal. I think you deserve some fun."

Eriol smiled in response. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

"But why are you reading Clow's journal?" Suppi asked, clearly as curious as ever.

Eriol sighed, rubbing his azure eyes under his glasses in frustration. Reading Clow Reed's journals has certainly stressed him out and even made things even more complicated than ever. However, those books explained a lot of things. "Let's just say…something very important in our lives didn't happen," Eriol said quietly, "especially Sakura's…" When he saw his guardian's baffled face, he offered an explanation. "Remember when I told you about Sakura's dreams? She's supposed to meet that boy in the dreams…" Eriol explained as he smiled a bit.

"The one whom you said had deep amber eyes and brown hair? If you ask me, he sounds exactly like Master Li. Especially because he had seen his father die like that. The scenario that you said Sakura saw sounds exactly like it."

Eriol stared at Suppi intently and silently.

"Don't tell me that she's supposed to meet him…" Suppi said slowly, _"_..._him _out of all people?"

Eriol nodded. "He was supposed to have a very important role when she was capturing the Cards. I don't know why I didn't know of it. I thought I had predicted everything that was to happen in Sakura's life…" Eriol sighed, "I guess some things aren't predictable even to Clow."

"So what have you done about it?"

"Well, I've been reading Clow's journal and it seems he has not known anything about Sakura having to meet Syaoran either."

"What will you do, Eriol?" Suppi asked, knowing that Eriol was up to something big.

Eriol smirked. "I've already done it."

Suppi blinked. Suddenly Nakuru appeared at the door. "Eriol, they're coming. They said they would arrive tonight."

Eriol smiled as he lay back and relaxed in the couch. "Perfect."

Suppi looked at his master curiously. _'What is Eriol planning now?'_

The boy glanced at his wristwatch. Three o'clock. He smiled. "Well, we've better get going. I promised Tomoyo…"

"We'll wait for them to come here and show them the way to Sakura's house," Nakuru said smiling, "I almost can't wait for her to come! She's so cool!" she squealed.

Eriol smiled at her behavior as he headed towards the front door. "All right then. I'll be going now."

-

** _Hong Kong_ _China_**

An amber eyed, serious boy was just lying on his bed, almost asleep when suddenly he felt a peculiar feeling in his chest. It was a tingling, bright feeling. He sighed as he saw images of a girl he had never met with bright emerald eyes walking with her friend. She was smiling brightly as always.

"She's happy again…" he whispered with slight annoyance as he opened his deep amber eyes.

Ever since he was young, once in a while he would feel this happy, tingly feeling in him. He had guessed it had something to do with the girl that kept on popping into his mind whenever he had them. He was connected to a stranger…a very energetic, happy stranger as he could tell. She was almost always happy. It was annoying as hell, especially to him. What made it even weirder was that he had dreams about her. She was always laughing and enjoying life in his dreams.

She was a total opposite from him, he figured. He hadn't felt that happiness in such a long while. He couldn't even remember the last time he was truly happy.

Suddenly the door to his bedroom opened, interrupting his thoughts.

" Xiao Lang, pack up."

The boy picked his head up, clearly confused. "What?" he asked the woman in Chinese clothing.

"Pack your bags. Try to pack lightly." And with that short reply, the woman turned on her heel to exit the room. The boy reluctantly did as he was told, quietly muttering annoyed insults to the girl in his dreams.

-

"Tomoyo! Do you _have _to video tape me _all_ the time?" Sakura asked embarrassedly.

They were slowly walking through the streets to Sakura's house. Tomoyo was once again video taping her intently with her newest video camera.

Tomoyo laughed, throwing her raven hair back. "It's your sixteenth birthday, Sakura! I must get you on your birthday! I'll call this…'_Sakura Walking Home on Her Sixteenth Birthday!_'" She centered the camera on Sakura who was slightly red in the face.

"So…a speech on your sixteenth birthday?"

Her best friend shook her head vigorously. "No! Tomoyo, no!"

"Aw…c'mon!"

"I'd like to say something if you don't mind, then," a male voice said behind them.

They stopped walking, turned around and smiled at the handsome teen with the navy blue hair and azure eyes which was covered by his usual glasses.

"Eriol! Hey!" Sakura said happily.

He smiled his serene, calm smile. "Happy sixteenth birthday, Sakura."

"Thanks."

" Hiiragazawa Eriol, one of the celebrant's best friends, and also quite the gentleman if I may add, will proudly speak in honor of Kinomoto Sakura's birthday!" Tomoyo said to the video camera. She centered Eriol's cute face in her camera as they all laughed.

Eriol cleared his throat. "Well, on this very special day, one of my best friends, Kinomoto Sakura is turning sixteen. Through the years, I've seen her grow into quite an exquisite young lady," he smiled at Sakura who rolled her eyes and laughed, "I've seen her through good times, bad times, sad times, and yes even through her many, many, many humiliating times."

Sakura laughed and punched Eriol lightly on the arm. He chuckled as well and Tomoyo was giggling behind the camera.

"So in honor of Sakura's birthday, my present to her is to force her to finally tell Yukito that she likes him..."

Eriol nudged Sakura who turned red. Eriol and Tomoyo laughed.

"I'm just kidding, Sakura. I'll give my present when it comes," he said smiling.

"Oh Eriol, you didn't have to…" Sakura started to say.

"Sheesh, Sakura. We're your friends. Of course we'd want to give you presents on your birthday!" Tomoyo said.

"Well, anyway are you guys walking somewhere?" Eriol asked with pretended curiosity.

"We're walking to my house. Tomoyo's helping me carry theses bags," Sakura said.

"Oh, why don't I help you with those, Sakura? Tomoyo?" Before they could resist, Eriol had grabbed the two bags full of clothes from both of them, acting like a proper gentleman. He smiled. "I'll walk with you two."

Sakura and Tomoyo smiled in thankfulness.

As they started walking again Eriol groaned and gestured towards the bags. "What did you guys do? Go shopping?"

Sakura giggled. "Well, something like that…"

Tomoyo and Sakura laughed.

"Hey, do you guys wanna get some ice cream or something? Let's just consider it as Sakura's birthday celebration," Tomoyo suggested.

"Yeah, we should. Let's go," Eriol agreed enthusiastically.

Sakura laughed, giving into her friends' request. "Okay, okay."

-

Sakura opened the front door of her house and let Eriol and Tomoyo in. It was already five o'clock! After the ice cream, Tomoyo had insisted that they should go hang out at the park so that she could video tape Sakura. After that, Eriol said he should stop by at the bakery to get some bread for home. Then Tomoyo saw a jewelry store and wanted to see what jewelry was inside. It was so much fun, laughing with her best friends, that Sakura had lost track of time!

"Otou-san! Onii-chan! I'm home! I brought Tomoyo and Eriol with me!"

The house was deadly silent. No one was home. Sakura sighed in disappointment. She had planned to spend the rest of the day with her family. Oh well, it was her fault for coming home pretty late.

What she didn't notice was Tomoyo and Eriol give each other grins.

"Well, it looks like they're not here. C'mon let's go to the living room. We'll leave the bags there."

Tomoyo, who by the way was still recording with her video camera, and Eriol followed Sakura into the living where it was dim since the lights were off and the blinds were down.

As Sakura flipped the switch…

"Happy Birthday, SAKURA!"

"HOEEE!"

-

"Kaijuu, you should've seen your face!" Touya said laughing maniacally.

Sakura blushed and glared at her brother. "Sh-Shut up! I was caught by surprise…"

Sakura's family, Yukito, Eriol, Tomoyo and her four other close friends; Sasaki Rika, Yanagisawa Naoko, Yamazaki Takashi and Mihara Chiharu were all in the living room sitting in various places as they ate cake.

"You should've seen your face, Sakura! You looked like you saw a ghost!" Rika said teasingly before she placed cake in her mouth and chewed politely.

Naoko's eyes started sparkling behind her large glasses. "I read a book once about something like this! The girl thought that everyone was going to surprise her and shout, 'Happy Birthday!' but instead when she flipped on the light, a ghost appeared!"

Yamazaki added with a big grin, "Didn't you hear? The ghost belonged to a dead alien who wanted revenge on her family who didn't believe in aliens! There's a legend that says-"

Sakura trembled, turning blue at the mere sound of the word '_ghost_.' "H-Hoee…."

Chiharu bonked him on the head with her mallet that she somehow got. "Oh Sakura, don't listen to him."

Fujitaka laughed. "Sakura, you're sixteen now and you're _still_ afraid of ghosts!"

They all laughed as Sakura just blushed in embarrassment.

"Wait, so everyone was in on this?" she asked.

They nodded, smiling at Sakura's question.

"Who did you think the cake was for?" Yukito said from her left side of the couch.

Sakura, sitting next to him, blushed. "A-Arigatou…" She her smile widened as she realized that she was sitting next to him. Oh, this day just had to be the best day of her life!

Tomoyo and Eriol looked at each other knowingly. They had purposely made her sit there without her knowing. They were masters when it came to crushes and romance. Put the two together, and you'll get the perfect guy or girl for you at your door and you wouldn't even suspect they did it.

Sakura suddenly gasped causing them all to look at her with concern. The image of a grumbling Kero in her room, smelling the sweet smell of cake, came to mind. He would kill her if she didn't leave him some!

"What's wrong Sakura?" Chiharu asked, munching some food.

"I…uh…can you guys leave a piece of cake for me for later on?" she said.

Touya laughed. "Kaijuu, you're such a pig!"

"THAT'S NOT IT!"

-

"Well Sakura, I think we should go now," Rika said walking to the door with Naoko next to her.

"Yeah. We stillhave school tomorrow," Naoko said with a frown.

"Great party, Sakura!" Chiharu said, "But I'd better go too."

"And I'd better escort these girls to protect them from the one-eyed aliens that-"

Chiharu sighed and smacked Yamazaki again. "He's lying."

Tomoyo, Eriol and Sakura saw their classmates at the door. "Thanks for coming! It was really a surprise!" Sakura shouted as she watched them walk to their homes in a group.

They turned, smiled at her and waved back.

As the three return inside, Sakura said, "Thanks for agreeing to stay to help clean, you guys," as she picked up an empty plastic cup.

Tomoyo smiled. "No problem."

Everyone else who had stayed was in the living room picking up the trash and cleaning things up, since plastic cups and plates filled the tables. Fujitaka was the only one in the kitchen washing the dishes.

"Did you like the surprise, Sakura?" Yukito asked.

Sakura nodded. "I loved it! Thanks!"

"And all thanks to Daidouji and Hiiragazawa," Touya said.

Sakura turned to her two best friends, her emerald orbs glittering brightly. "Really? You guys planned this?" Sakura asked, her face all smiles.

Eriol nodded. "Of course!"

Even planning birthday parties were assigned to Eriol and Tomoyo. They did anything with arranging perfectly. But imagine having them hook you up with someone...

"Thanks so much!" Sakura said.

"Did you like your presents Sakura?" Yukito asked.

Sakura nodded vigorously. She _loved_ her presents! Naoko had given her a bunch of fantasy novels which, Naoko had assured, had _no _ghosts. Rika gave her the whole DVD anime series that they both loved. Chiharu had given her four tickets to the new amusement park that opened a town away. Yamazaki had given her a book about all the legends and myths of Japan and had also assured her that they barely had any ghost stories in them. Yukito gave her a ticket for a free dinner for two at a nearby restaurant. Touya had told her that he would do her chores for a week and had also given her a small cute wallet with a picture of a small pink fluffy monster in the corner of the front. Her father had given her some cool fossils from his latest expedition. Tomoyo had of course had given her the outfits and Eriol…

"Eriol, you don't have a present for Sakura?" Tomoyo whispered in surprise.

Eriol looked at her guiltily. "I didn't forget. They're just not here yet."

"They?"

Before he could've answered, the doorbell rang, its dinging sounding through the house. Eriol smiled. "Okay, there they are."

"Huh? We didn't invite anyone else," Touya said curiously.

"C'mon, let's just get it already. It's rude to leave people standing outside," Sakura said walking towards the door.

The others followed close behind her. As Sakura opened the door, Nakuru suddenly jumped out and squeezed the heck out of her.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! Happy birthday!" Nakuru squealed, still hugging her tightly.

"H-Hoee…" Sakura couldn't breathe!

Suppi who was in Nakuru's pocket flew out before he could've been squished. "Sheesh, Ruby Moon. You'd think after living with you for how many years I would've gotten used to you," Suppi muttered while flying over to Eriol and landing into his pocket, quietly.

Suddenly Kero appeared flying down at rapid speed down the stairs. "SAKURRAAA! MORE CAKE!"

He stopped as he reached the bottom of the steps. Kero blinked at the people surrounding him and quickly turned into a stuffed animal as Tomoyo grabbed him and placed him in her pocket.

Yukito and Touya still weren't used to this by now. They knew all about the whole Card Capture thing but they just couldn't get used to the idea of having flying and talking stuffed dolls. So, they watched the scene silently.

Eriol chuckled at Nakuru who was still hugging Sakura and telling her "happy birthday."

"Nakuru, let go of poor Sakura now," he said smiling a bit.

Nakuru smiled and ran over to Eriol's side, obediently.

That was when they all noticed the figure that was behind Nakuru.

She cleared her throat. "May I present the magnificent, polite, powerful, wonderful-" Eriol nudged her with his elbow and she giggled. "- Yelan Li."

Sakura gasped as the woman walked inside. She was absolutely beautiful! She had long, shining, black hair that reached almost to her knees. Her coal black eyes shone with pride. Her stunning but foreign clothing suited her nicely and her pale skin and straight posture gave her a royal aura.

Hold on…aura…AURA! Sakura's eyes widened in shock. This woman had magic!

Yelan regally bowed her head a bit. "Hello."

Eriol smiled at seeing the stately, Chinese woman. "Nice of you to come, Yelan-san."

"It was you who requested our presence, Eriol," she said smiling a tiny bit.

Our? Sakura looked around curiously and in confusion. She didn't see anyone else there.

Before anything else happened, Yelan spotted Sakura who was still staring at the beautiful woman.

Yelan smiled and bowed to her. "It's a pleasure and an honor to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you from Eriol. Oh and may I add Happy Birthday..." She looked up with a smile, "Card Mistress."

They were all shocked. This woman knew! She knew about the Cards! She knew about the magic!

Yelan smiled at the girl. She was pretty and cute, the kind of cute that would send her four daughters running and hugging her and saying how cute she was. What Yelan liked most about Sakura was her emerald eyes. Those innocent, child eyes...the kind that she wished her son still had.

"E-Excuse me…H-How…?" Sakura stuttered, still unable to register it in her head that this woman knew about practically everything.

Yelan smiled at the girl. "Yes, I know. You see, I'm a descendant of Clow Reed."

"Hold on…why are you here?" Touya asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Eriol requested us to come here a few hours ago. He was saying that he had something very important to tell all of us. Also, he said to come for Sakura's birthday too."

"He told you only a few hours ago! How'd you come here so fast?" Tomoyo asked in amazement.

Yelan smiled. "The Lis have our ways."

Eriol chuckled in agreement. "They sure do."

"Now Sakura, what is your last name? Eriol has never told me," Yelan asked politely.

"My last name? Oh it's Kino-"

Suddenly they were interrupted by Fujitaka coming to see who it was. "Sakura, Touya, who is-" he stopped as he saw Yelan.

"Y-Yelan?" he said in surprise. His eyes widened.

"Fujitaka!"

He smiled. "It _is_ you! How long has it been? How have you been? How are the children?"

Yelan laughed. "It's so good to see you! The last time I saw you was when I visited Nadeshiko! How is she? Is she here?" Yelan said excitedly, peering into the house, trying to find the familiar silver-haired maiden that she adored so much.

Now even Eriol was surprised. He never knew that Fujitaka and Yelan knew each other. It was even more surprising to see Yelan in such an anxious, excited way. It was as if the nobleness of her disappeared for a moment.

It was silent for awhile and Yelan felt the uncomfortable air. She never expected what Fujitaka was going to say next. He sighed and smiled sadly at her. "Nadeshiko is…she passed away…"

Yelan widened her eyes in shock. "Nadeshiko? No…that can't be…she was the most energetic person I knew!"

"She was ill…"

"Oh my, I'm so sorry Fujitaka…I wasn't even here for the funeral." Yelan looked guiltily at him with tears almost to her eyes.

Fujitaka smiled. "It's no problem, Yelan." It was then when he saw everyone's confused eyes peering at them and offered an explanation. "I'm sorry, how rude of me. Yelan, Nadeshiko and I were all friends when Nadeshiko was in still high school," he explained, "She came as a transfer student and was in Nadeshiko's class. But she had to leave before we got married."

Yelan looked sadly at the floor. "Those were the days where I didn't have to have so much responsibility. Remember, Fujitaka?"

"Yes," he replied with a smile. "You had to go back to the Li clan. You had a wedding too and had to become a strong sorceress, right Yelan?"

Sakura looked at her father with surprised eyes. He knew that Li Yelan had magic too? Well, just about everything was becoming surprising to her tonight.

Yelan smiled sorrowfully. "Yes…"

"But you loved him, right? How is he?" Fujitaka asked politely.

She looked at the wood floor, hiding her despairing eyes. "He...He also…"

"Oh, I-I see…I'm sorry...I didn't know..."

The woman tried to shake her sadness away and she smiled at them all, trying to hide her sorrow. "It's all right. He was leader of the Li Clan. When people somehow found out we had magic, it was normal for them to attack the leader. People always tend to fear what they don't understand. Magic is one thing that people will never understand," Yelan said as she closed her eyes. "My husband was walking home with my son who was eight years old then. It was dark…some crazy person had a gun…it took my husband by surprise. He didn't have time to react."

They were all quiet for a couple of minutes, feeling sadness for the poor, nice woman they had just met. Sakura could've sworn that she saw two teardrops fall from her beautiful eyes and hit the floor.

"Yelan," Eriol said quietly, "That reminds me…where is he?"

She looked at Eriol in confusion for a moment. "Oh yes! I totally forgot!" She looked around her and out the front door into the evening. " Xiao Lang?" she called.

A boy appeared behind her from the cover of the shadows. He had a very handsome face, brown, disheveled hair, amber eyes….wait…he looked oddly familiar…

Sakura gasped, taking in all his features and recognizing him all at once. It was impossible. It was the stranger who haunted her dreams and made her feel unexplainable pain. This was him. Everything was happening so fast, that she simply stood there in shock.

"Yes?" he said quietly in his deep voice as he stood beside his mother.

Eriol smirked seeing that Syaoran seemed to be still the same. He walked in front of Syaoran, still smirking.

There was an uneasy silence as they stood there, just staring at each other. While Eriol had a smirking demeanor, the stranger simple stared at him with confusion.

Suddenly the reincarnation of Clow Reed said a perplexing, "How are you...cute, little descendant?"

Syaoran immediately growled and glared. "YOU!"

Eriol laughed. "It's nice to know you still remember me."

He looked away and grunted. "Were you the one who made me leave Hong Kong?"

"Why yes, I am."

Syaoran grunted again, glaring at the azure eyed boy.

"You two, be nice," Yelan said warningly, "Everyone, this is my son, Li Syaoran."

"Let me introduce you, Syaoran," Eriol said. He pointed to each one as he introduced them.

"This is Kinomoto Fujitaka, Kinomoto Touya, Tsukishiro Yukito, the lovely Daidouji Tomoyo and…...and this is Kinomoto Sakura."

Syaoran had looked at each person emotionlessly, but his eyes stuck on Sakura as Eriol introduced her. He looked her up and down recognizing the young teen from somewhere.

Honey brown hair, emerald curious, innocent eyes…it was her…

Sakura gulped as Syaoran eyed her like a hawk. He wasn't staring at her like a pervert or something but still, his gaze scared her. He was the same person from the dreams and the same person from the images in her head whenever she felt the pain. It was without a doubt that this was the boy who caused all those horrible dreams and sudden pains.

But why? Why did this cause her pain? Why did she feel his thoughts and emotions? Why was he here in the first place?

Everyone was silent as they stared in confusion at Syaoran and Sakura who were simply looking at each other.

Finally they both spoke at the same exact time.

"It's you…"

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	2. Plans

**Tied By Fate  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CCS. The wonderful CLAMP does.

* * *

**Chapter 2:** Plans

Sakura and Syaoran stared at each other for a couple of minutes. They just stood there and stared, trying to comprehend what was happening. Deep inside, they were secretly wondering what the other one thought about the sudden "feelings" they get from each other.

The others around them stared at the two teens in bafflement while Eriol studied them silently, taking mental notes.

"Um, Sakura, do you know him?" Tomoyo asked gesturing with her amethyst eyes to the amber-eyed boy.

"No," Sakura answered quietly, her eyes still boring into Syaoran's, "I've never met him."

"And I've never met her," Syaoran said, equally staring Sakura down.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked him casually.

Syaoran narrowed his eyes. "You've got a problem with my being here?"

It was obvious they weren't exactly getting along well. Actually, it really peeved both of them out that another person knew their most secret emotions. Although, Sakura wasn't as peeved as Syaoran was. She was embarrassed more than angry. All those times she got into her "floaty" moods whenever she saw Yukito weren't secret after all. This stranger had felt them. It was a total invasion of privacy!

Syaoran on the other hand was more than peeved. His thoughts regarding his life aren't exactly uplifting. In fact, they were depressing...really, really depressing. But he was the stubborn kind. He would never show that his thoughts were saddening to him. He had been brought up being taught that showing sadness only led to weakness, so he basically kept it inside, not allowing anyone know his thoughts. This actually worked pretty well…except for _her_. She ruined everything. This complete stranger knew his feelings; his sadness, his anger, his anguish…everything. She probably pitied how he was always pretty gloomy by now! If there was something he hated more than showing emotion, it was pity. Sure, she didn't have anything to worry about anything. She had friends, a _normal_ family and he was pretty sure she had a crush for he often felt really tingly feelings and had seen an image of what he thought was the guy she liked. In fact, it was the guy with the silver hair and glasses. So yeah, her life was _perfect_.

So to summarize everything up, they were complete opposites.

"N-No, I'm just surprised to see you here," Sakura said. Boy, was this guy rude. She had only asked a simply question.

"And that I'm not somewhere brooding? Is that it?" Syaoran said icily.

Sakura frowned deeply. "Hold on, I never said that!"

"But that's what you were thinking, wasn't it?"

Sakura felt a weird emotion in her chest. She knew that he was annoyed. Deeply annoyed.

"N-No! It wasn't!"

"Yes you were. I know how people like you think."

He started feeling a little anger coming from her now as soon as he had said that. Wow, she was _mad_. That was actually the first time he had felt any kind of anger from her.

"People like me? What's that supposed to mean!" Sakura shouted, clearly as mad as he was now.

"People like you are the people who have perfectly normal lives with normal situations, normal families, normal friends and normal problems. I bet the biggest problem you've had was a zit that you suddenly got and were afraid to go to school," he responded almost dully.

But dull definitely wasn't what he felt inside as he felt his anger rise in his chest. All of it wasn't even his anger either…

"You have no right to say any of that! You've only met me! And for your information, I've probably had bigger problems than you," Sakura blurted.

Syaoran laughed, which dripped with loads of sarcasm. "Yeah, right. _You?_ Okay, why don't you tell me one of your _oh-so-big _problems!" he said folding his arms in front of him.

"Hey, brat," Touya started as he glared at the new guy, "Why don't you just shut the hell up and leave my sister alo-"

"Well, how about fighting a friend – who by the way was Clow's reincarnation – to lift a curse from the whole town that was putting everyone to a deep sleep where they couldn't wake from!" she shouted, cutting her brother off.

She immediately stopped after she said that and slapped her hand over her mouth. She had just blurted that out, consumed by her anger! Although she wasn't too worried about her friends and family, but Syaoran was a complete stranger! Maybe his mother knew, but her stupid, rude kid probably didn't know one bit about magic.

The rest of them were silent, utterly amazed at her unusual quick temper. They were especially surprised that she had just blurted out her special _gift_. Usually she was keen on keeping her magic a secret and had been careful not to spill it. But Sakura had forgotten about all that. She had been too angry at Syaoran, which was definitely a first.

Syaoran, on the other hand, had changed his monotonous gaze to an amused one.

"Uhh…I-I mean," Sakura stammered.

"Oh. So you _are_ the Card Mistress?" he said as if it was the most normal thing.

Sakura's eyes widened. "Y-You know, too?"

The others, except Yelan, Eriol, Nakuru and Spinel Sun, were equally surprised.

"Li-kun, you mean you know about Sakura having magic?" Yukito asked.

"Yeah."

"How?" Tomoyo added curiously. She had to admit, this guy looked dead drop gorgeous...but his personality didn't exactly match. She was sort of curious how a brat like this would know anything about things like this, even if his mother had magic.

"Well, it's my job."

Touya rolled his eyes, clearly irked by Syaoran's manners. "Dammit brat, explain."

Syaoran simply raised an eyebrow. "You mean my mother hasn't introduced me fully yet?"

"Hoee? What are you talking about?" Sakura said.

Suddenly, his dominating demeanor disappeared, only to be replaced with and sorrowful one. He looked at the wooden floor, trying hard to hide his eyes. "I-I'm Li Syaoran, direct descendant of Clow Reed and…...current leader of the Li clan."

Everyone was silent.

"_You_! The leader of such a prestigious group as the Li Clan? HA! No way! They would never have a brat as their leader," Kero shouted watching all that was happening from Tomoyo's pocket.

Fujitaka, Touya and Yukito were too surprised at Syaoran's statement to be nervous about a _"stuffed animal"_ talking. Sakura and Tomoyo were shocked, too.

Nakuru grinned, not noticing everyone's confusion and surprise. "Isn't that cool! Master Eriol, I and Suppi know the Lis because obviously Master Eriol would want to meet his descendants. We met the Lis a long time ago before we came to Japan. Eriol and Syaoran turned out to be the best of friends, ne Eriol?" she said excitedly.

"No," Syaoran quickly retorted with a grunt.

Eriol chuckled. "Well, I'm not sure Syaoran will agree."

"Hold on, what is the Li clan exactly anyway?" Touya asked.

"I thought it was clearly obvious," Suppi said yawning, although was mildly amused at the situation, "the Li clan is a family who are all the direct descendants of Clow Reed's mother. I bet even your father knew that one, Kinomoto."

Touya rolled his eyes. "Hey, gimme a break. This whole magic thing is_ still_ giving me quite a shock okay? Just you talking gives me the creeps."

Suppi only rolled his eyes.

Fujitaka turned to Yelan. "Yelan, this _is_ shocking. I mean, your son is pretty young to be taking up such a big responsibility. I mean, he looks like he's only around the age of twenty or so."

"I'm seventeen," Syaoran grunted.

Fujitaka's eyes widened even more as his glasses slid slightly off his nose. "_Seventeen?_" The Li clan's leader was only a year older than his daughter? Someone who was as young as him was leading a whole clan plus the industry they were in charge of?

Tomoyo scanned Syaoran. "I understand how you could've made the mistake, Kinomoto-san. He does look older than seventeen, considering his height, body figure, and facial expressions. The way he talks and scans people discreetly also makes him seem older. You know Li, you'd be pretty cute if you didn't act the way you do," Tomoyo said scanning him carefully as she circled him. Suddenly she clapped her hands together. "I bet you look _great_ in green, don't you?"

Syaoran looked at the odd girl. Was she crazy or something? Well, he did have to give her credit though. She was pretty damn observant to notice things like that. The others smiled a small smile at Tomoyo's behavior as Yelan looked at her as if she were strange. However, Eriol's grin was the biggest out of all of them. She continued to amaze him with her quick wit and analytical ways. Her modest and fashion loving personality also amused him. She was just full of surprises, no matter who she meets.

"Heh. Well, even if he were the leader of the Li clan," Kero said, "he must've just been assigned to it recently. I mean, I hate to face it to you, brat, but you are _way_ too young."

Syaoran looked away from them as everyone kept on trying to comment all at once. He didn't want to talk about his life to some bunch of strangers he just met. No, he didn't want to talk about all the strenuous training, the endless hours of studying and how it had all started..._definitely _not about how it started. Because then that would start leading him to think about…

_'Otou-san…'_

No. He couldn't think of his lousy father…the father who died right in front of him when he was only at the age of eight…

It was too late to stop his thoughts though and he knew it.

Immediately and suddenly, Sakura got the pain in her chest again. She reached up and touched her heart with her hand. Sadness…pain…suffering…these were the things she was feeling. She glanced at Syaoran and caught his amber eye.

Syaoran scowled as he avoided her gaze. "Dammit…"

Yelan who had been silent through all the comments the others had been saying, noticed his expression. She sighed. She knew that he was thinking about his father. Any little mention about the clan triggered thoughts about his father, her husband whom she had loved so much. It was just so unfair! Why'd he have to go? Why'd he have to abandon them, leaving their only son who was only eight to be the leader! Yelan looked at her son sorrowfully. He had acquired everything from his father. He looked exactly like him, except with shorter hair. Her son had those deep, penetrating amber eyes, the quiet manner, the chocolate colored hair, the clever and intelligence from his father. The only thing he lacked now...was his caring, loving side of him. Yelan knew he _was_ caring inside. But the Elders had wanted him to be perfect in every aspect to gain the confidence and skill of a leader. As a result, they had told him that he should never ever show emotion of any kind. They had only meant that he shouldn't show too much sadness and anger, but this of course backfired to them, when he refused to show even any sign of happiness by smiling or laughing. He had lost all those years of innocence...just because he had to become leader of the clan.

"Hold on," Tomoyo suddenly said, immediately cutting everyone off of what they were saying, "Eriol, you said you invited the Lis here. Do you have something to explain to us?"

Eriol grinned, loving once again how Tomoyo was always the one to notice everything first. "Finally, somebody's noticed."

-

Everyone was sitting anxiously in the Kinomotos' living room couches where there were still a few things left over from Sakura's party. But they didn't bother picking the litter up right now. Everyone wanted to hear Eriol's explanation. Meanwhile, Eriol stood in the middle, pacing nervously.

"So Eriol, why did you request our presence here?" Yelan asked, taking on her regal voice once again.

He sighed and combed his hand through his navy blue hair. This would take a lot of explaining. It was especially hard because he didn't know all the information himself. "It's seems…that I, Hiiragazawa Eriol, have just discovered something that evidently is supposed to happen," he said.

Tomoyo gasped in surprised. "Wow! Really! _You_ overlooked something?"

"Aren't you supposed to have a power where you can look into the future or something?" Touya asked.

Eriol nodded meekly.

"Even if you did fail to notice something that was to happen in the future, wouldn't Clow Reed would've known?" Yelan asked in confusion.

"Yes. That's what I thought, too. But, I have no memories whatsoever about Clow seeing this in the future. And, he didn't put it in any of his journals, which he constantly wrote in. So I doubt that he knew this either."

"But Eriol, I don't get it. Why are you making such a big deal of this? Everything seems as they are to be," Yukito said, glancing carefully at everyone in the room.

"That's what you think. Something _very_ important was to happen. It's important to all of us…especially Sakura."

Sakura blinked her large emerald eyes. "Hoee? Me?"

Eriol sighed in exasperation as he saw everyone's perplexed faces. "Neither I or Clow Reed have noticed this event that was supposed to happen. Apparently, Clow had found out all he could about Sakura and her future. But he had missed something, something _very_ essential to Sakura's life."

"And what was that?" Fujitaka asked curiously. Hey, wouldn't you be curious about your daughter's life, too? He especially should be curious since Sakura was the Card Mistress and had magic. All kinds of situations had happened to her already.

Syaoran grunted, his anger raising. "You're making no sense, Hiiragazawa. What does this thing have to do with my coming here? You drag me out all the way to fucking Japan to explain something I'm not even included in?"

Yelan looked at Eriol. "Even though Xiao Lang is being rude and impolite about it, I have to agree, Eriol. Why ask us to come here?"

Eriol sighed again. "I wasn't done yet. That _something_ that need to happen _was_ associated to you, Syaoran."

Syaoran look at him confusedly with a deep frown on his lips. This whole thing was bullshit. He was convinced that Hiiragazawa was simply trying to looked smart in front of all these people.

"Syaoran, at age ten where were you?" Eriol asked.

Syaoran's amber eyes widened momentarily before looking down at the ground.

Sakura felt the pain tugging at her heart again and she swore she had seen at least a little sadness in his eyes replace the stubbornness. She sighed. She couldn't reach his eyes anymore. They were covered by his messy bangs. She tried to ignore the slight twinge of pain in her to listen to the situation.

"I was in Hong Kong of course…" Syaoran said dully.

Eriol looked sadly at his friend. He hated seeing Syaoran like this, but Eriol had to make a point. "What were you doing in Hong Kong?" he asked softly.

Syaoran was angry. In fact, he was furious now. He didn't care if the Card Mistress felt what he was feeling anymore. How could Hiiragazawa ask him these questions! He knew perfectly well what was going on at that time. The clan had been in chaos. Even though it had been almost two years since Syaoran's father had died, the Elders and important people in the clan had spent all this time debating. And do you know what they were debating about? They were debating whether of not Syaoran will be able to lead the clan even at a young age. They didn't really want any other male in the family be the leader because it was a strict custom to have the son of the leader take his father's place when he passed away or was unable to continue. So the Elders made their decision. That's right. Syaoran had to become the leader of the Li clan at age _ten_. Actually, they were planning to initiate Syaoran's leadership on the day of his tenth birthday. So, Syaoran had to do nothing but study and train everyday. Then suddenly on his tenth birthday, there were all these people and then- BAM! You're the leader of your clan. That's some way to celebrate your first double digit birthday, huh?

"What do you think, Hiiragazawa! You know exactly what was happening when I was ten years old!" Syaoran suddenly exploded.

Eriol didn't flinch despite the deadening glare and outburst from his descendant.

"Actually Master, it _was_ pretty inconsiderate to ask him that. You know what he has been through. Why remind him of it?" Suppi whispered to Eriol from his shoulder.

Eriol ignored the small guardian. "So you were busy all that year?"

Syaoran looked at him with a disbelieving look. "You were there when I was ten, dammit! You saw how fucked up everything had been! Damn you Hiiragazawa...I thought you were supposed to be 'all-mighty,' being Clow Reed and all," he shouted. He couldn't contain himself any longer. Why the hell was Hiiragazawa doing this to him!

There was silence once again enveloping them after Syaoran's outburst. The pain in Sakura's chest tightened a bit as he said all of those things. But as she took a peek into his eyes, she saw intense pain, even greater than what she felt, and sorrow. He was suffering deep inside and bottling it up. It was a bad thing to contain all your emotions inside. They would build up and suddenly explode without warning, just like when he had exploded in front of Eriol. But even those cruel words didn't seem even a bit of the anger that Sakura saw in his eyes.

Eriol just sighed warily, hating to do this to his friend. "Yes, I was there. But your mother, the Elders and I didn't tell you something."

"What?" Syaoran said with an annoyed tone obvious in his voice.

"We didn't tell you the Cards had been released."

Syaoran looked at Eriol for a minute before putting his head down again.

"You mean that's it?" Syaoran whispered, starting to calm down now. "You didn't have to tell me. I knew the Cards had been released," he said.

Eriol and Yelan looked taken aback. "Xiao Lang? H-How? We never even mentioned it to you," Yelan said.

Syaoran looked up and stared right at Sakura. "I knew…because I felt _her _nervousness and I saw the Cards being released in my dreams." Syaoran rolled his eyes. "Honestly Kinomoto, you released the Cards _accidentally_! You thought the Cards were _normal_! Even a regular human with no magic could sense _something_ odd about those Cards."

Sakura felt hurt and frowned and opened her mouth to speak but Touya interrupted her. He had gotten up and walked over to Syaoran who was still sitting. Touya towered over him while they both glared at each other.

"Why don't you just leave my sister alone?" Touya said through gritted teeth, "If you ever insult her again…"

Syaoran smirked a bit unfazed by Touya's threats. "Oh. You're one of those over-protective brothers aren't you? So what if I insult her again? What can _you_ do?"

Before Touya's fist came crashing into Syaoran's calm face, Yukito and Fujitaka were already holding Touya back.

"Touya, calm yourself," Yukito said. He looked at Syaoran disapprovingly as he tried to sit his best friend down.

Fujitaka frowned towards Syaoran. "Li-kun, please do not speak that way about my children and please do not get Touya angry," Fujitaka said holding Touya back. There was a tint of unusual resentment in Fujitaka's voice as he spoke to Syaoran, which was highly unusual because he usually liked everyone he met.

Syaoran only grunted in response.

Touya was yelling obscenities at the brat who was sitting calmly through the whole yelling session. Fujitaka and Yukito held him back and tried to quiet him. Finally Touya had calmed down and was yet again sitting in the opposite couch of Syaoran. His father and Yukito staying near him in case Syaoran infuriated Touya again. During the confusion, Yelan took that time to scold her impossible son who in return just gave her a hard stare.

"Okay, Eriol," Kero said finally speaking again, "You've gotta get to the point before any more fights break out."

Tomoyo nodded in agreement. "Kero's right," she whispered to Eriol, "Touya and Syaoran don't seem like they like each other much. Not even Fujitaka and Yukito seem to like Syaoran right now, and you know how they are always friendly to everyone."

Eriol nodded and cleared his throat loudly to catch everyone's attention. "Well, the whole time, Syaoran knew about the Cards being released. He didn't come here to Tomoeda, Japan because he couldn't leave the clan."

Syaoran shouted as he stood up suddenly, "I wouldn't have come here even if I had to!"

Yelan gave her son that mother look. Syaoran sighed in annoyance and sat back down.

"Well, Syaoran and Sakura _were_ supposed to meet," Eriol said.

"If you say Li and Sakura were meant to meet, why didn't they, Eriol?" Tomoyo asked.

He sighed in response. "That seems to have been Clow's fault. Actually, Clow's _and_ mine. We both hadn't seen anything about them meeting…"

Everyone was clearly confused. "But I thought you were all mighty and powerful with all that magic you had back then, Eriol," Yukito said.

Eriol smiled faintly. "Both Clow and I had our limits. We weren't perfect. We couldn't find out every single thing that was supposed to happen in Sakura's life."

"Wait, Eriol," Fujitaka started, "How did you find this out if you had no premonitions or such about Li and Sakura meeting?"

Eriol fiddled with his glasses. "Well, I've noticed something. Ever since Syaoran was small, he was able to somehow _feel_ a stranger's emotions. And it wasn't only that. He also had dreams of the stranger…"

Syaoran glared at Eriol. He was as observing as that Daidouji girl was. "How'd you know that? I never told you…"

Eriol smirked. "I have my ways, _cute little descendant_."

Syaoran's frown deepened at the nickname.

"So anyway…" Eriol continued, "Syaoran's constant dazing out never really bothered me until Sakura had told me that she had been having weird dreams about a boy she hadn't met a few months ago."

As Touya and Fujitaka looked her way, Sakura squirmed. She hadn't told her family about the weird dreams. She didn't want them to worry. But she guessed it was useless now.

"Anyway," Eriol quickly said, "I knew she probably felt the strange boy's emotions too. So obviously, if you put all these facts together…"

"So wait," Tomoyo said trying to comprehend, "What you're saying is that Sakura and Li-kun are somehow…somehow _bonded_ together!"

Syaoran and Sakura stood up from their couch at the same time.

"NO WAY!" they said in unison.

"Are you sure you haven't lost it yet, Eriol?" Kero asked, "I mean it's clear that Sakura and this brat have nothing in common…except of course for the fact that they both have magic."

"Well, they obviously _do_ have something in common, Cerberus. They are both connected to each other," Eriol replied.

Touya was in hysterics. "Sakura and this gaki! _BONDED _to each other No way, Hiiragazawa!"

Eriol shrugged. "I've been doing research on this. I've been through all the books, documents, journals and everything I could find. They all say the same thing; _'Channeling one's emotion to another, even involuntarily, can only occur if the two people are somehow connected. Connection between two people can only be proven in one way; the two must have dreams of the other.'_ So this isn't just a guess. Syaoran and Sakura are definitely connected to each other."

"Hold on, how and why are they connected?" Fujitaka asked.

"Well," Eriol said, "I have no idea how they are bonded. It could be because they both have approximately the same strength of magic? I don't know. That's why I brought Syaoran here. If they are connected somehow there must be a reason. I have a feeling that if he's here we'll all be able to find out."

"And _why_ are we …bonded?" Syaoran asked, saying the last word with distaste.

They all saw Eriol's smirk. It grew larger as Eriol looked at Syaoran to Sakura.

"Eriol?" Nakuru said noticing the familiar evil tint in her master's eye.

He gave a deep, long chuckle. And somehow to Syaoran and Sakura's ears, it was not very comforting.

"Eriol?" Tomoyo said. Something was definitely up.

He laughed for a coupled more seconds as everyone was silently watching him and wondering what was wrong. As Eriol finally stopped, he had to take off his glasses to wipe the few tears in her eyes he had gotten from laughing.

"You would never believe if I told you what I think," Eriol said smirking as he placed his glasses back on, "Well, we'll just have to find out if my theory is right."

Everyone blinked in confusion. Maybe Eriol was starting to get a bit psycho.

"Hmmm," Eriol said thinking, "I think I might need a little help though." He smiled and looked at Tomoyo. "I think you'll find my little plan enjoyable, Tomoyo. Would you like to assist me?"

Tomoyo looked at him in bafflement. But she said, "I-I'd be happy to lend you a hand anytime, Eriol."

He smiled in triumph. "Good."

Syaoran rolled his eyes. "This is all bull. Bull, I tell you. Now if you don't mind, okaa-san, do you mind if we go back to Hong Kong now?" he said, clearly irritated by all these people.

She sighed. It was pretty hard for Yelan to take all of this information in. Syaoran had been having his _connection_ with the Card Mistress even before she had even noticed Sakura's magic? It was giving her a headache. The last thing she needed was her son's complaining.

"Syaoran," Eriol said, "Leave your mother alone. All this information including the amount of magic she had used up when you guys had transported here must have tired her out."

Fujitaka's eyes were wide. "Yelan, you used your _magic _to get here!"

Yelan smiled tiredly. "Not only with my magic of course. I did it with the help of Syaoran and the Elders…"

Sakura looked at Yelan in worry. "Li-san, do you have somewhere to stay?" she asked.

Yelan smiled at the girl. "Oh Sakura, just call me Yelan. And yes, I'm pretty sure we'll be staying at Eriol's house."

The birthday girl smiled. "Okay…Yelan-san."

Syaoran groaned. This stranger had already gotten on his mother's good side! It usually took ages to get on his mother's good side. In fact,_ he_ was still trying to get there…

"C'mon, Yelan-sama! You look tired. Let's get you back to our house," Nakuru said, "You can tell me all about your daughters!"

Yelan smiled weakly as Spinel Sun unnoticeably rolled his eyes as he heard Nakuru's comment from Eriol's pocket. Nakuru walked Yelan over to the door.

"Good-bye everyone," Yelan said, "And happy birthday, Sakura-chan."

Yelan and Sakura smiled at each other before the regal woman let Nakuru walk her out the door.

Eriol walked towards Sakura sadly as everyone said their good-byes to Yelan and Nakuru.

"Sakura," Eriol whispered, "I'm sorry for ruining your birthday."

"Oh don't worry, Eriol. At least I've gotten the chance to meet Yelan...and at least I now know the person I'm…_connected_ to…"

He still looked guilty. "But trust me, Sakura. This isn't exactly my birthday present."

"Hoee?"

Eriol smirked. "Nope. My present is just beginning…"

And with that, he swiftly left her side and bid good-bye to everyone. Syaoran followed silently, looking at the floor.

He felt Sakura's gaze as he left and frowned. This was so damn unlucky of him. But then again, he was the king the unluckiness. An image of his father flashed through his mind…

Sakura meanwhile felt the pain once again. She somehow understood Li's sadness. She herself had a deceased mother… The major difference was that Sakura's mother didn't die in such a gory way. Her mom had died from an illness…

Maybe…Just maybe… Li Syaoran isn't really what he seems to be. Maybe somewhere inside him was a good person. Death of someone close can cause someone to be distant. Maybe if Li-kun had someone who would be willing to help him, he'd open his heart.

**TO BE CONTINUED **


	3. Tour

**Tied by Fate **

**By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer:** Card Captor Sakura and all the characters are copyrighted to CLAMP. I don't own them in any way.

* * *

**Chapter 3:** Tour

Spinel Sun curiously watched his master eat his morning meal. Eriol was already dressed in his high school uniform and was all set for school. Right now he was eating a small breakfast in the quiet kitchen. He smirked to himself as all the wonderful matchmaking plans came together in his head. Oh how he loved being evil. But he couldn't do it on his own. He would need the expertise of singer/matchmaker/Sakura's best friend, Daidouji Tomoyo. It would take no time at all to convince Tomoyo to help him. For years she had always wanted Sakura to have her first love so Tomoyo could video tape Sakura and her _"kawaii"_ boyfriend. She had always loved romance as far as Eriol knew. So that was no problem at all. All there was left was to urge Sakura and Syaoran to at least act decent to each other for one minute. That was where the problem lay. It was clear to Eriol that Sakura and Syaoran definitely started off on the wrong foot. He understood that though. Would he want someone to feel know his most private feelings? No, most certainly not. But still, according to his observations, Syaoran and Sakura would make the most perfect couple. But-

"Eriol?" Suppi said interrupting Eriol's thoughts, "What exactly are your intentions with Sakura and Syaoran?" Eriol chuckled quietly at Suppi's sudden question. That little guardian certainly knew him best.

"What do you mean?" Eriol asked innocently. If Suppi didn't know him so well, the guardian would've thought Eriol really was innocent when he said this. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Suppi knew his master _very_ well.

Suppi rolled his eyes. "Puh-leeze. I'm not as dense as Mistress Sakura or Nakuru, you know. I know you're up to something. Why would you bring Master Li and his mother all the way from Hong Kong just to tell them about Master Li and Mistress Sakura's '_bond' _with each other? It would've been more reasonable to just tell them separately. What exactly are you scheming, Eriol?"

Eriol laughed as he finished up his oatmeal and grabbed his bag. "Wow Spinel. You're as observant as I am. But I'm afraid that this little scheme of mine will not be known for a long time. Maybe if you're careful enough, you'll be able to figure it out on your own." He smiled and walked towards the door with his bag. "Spinel, please wake up Nakuru and Yelan. Syaoran has already left." Eriol laughed a little and thought to himself, "That early bird…he'll never change." And with a last quick wave to Suppi, Eriol left the house.

The small black guardian sighed as he flew slowly towards Nakuru's room. There was going to go an angry tornado this morning. Nakuru never likes being woken up. As he flew on to waken the storm, Spinal thought carefully about Eriol's _scheme. _What would be so important for two people to meet? Suppi groaned. Oh how he hated not being filled in on these things.

-

The beautiful, elegant Tomoyo Daidouji walked into her first class, homeroom. As she walked to her seat, looking neat and clean in her school uniform as usual, she smiled as she saw that Sakura was still not in class. Rika, Naoko, Chiharu, and Yamazaki came by her desk.

"Hey Tomoyo!" Chiharu greeted. Tomoyo smiled in return.

Naoko glanced at Sakura's seat. "So the birthday girl is not here yet?"

Rika smiled. "Well, we all know how Sakura is." They all laughed. They sure did. So far, Sakura had never been early once this whole year.

"I just hope Sakura doesn't get another detention again. She has about four each month!" a voice said.

"Oh, hi Eriol," Tomoyo said as they all turned to the voice. Eriol smiled at all of them.

Rika giggled. "You guys are so mean to Sakura! It's not her fault she's always late."

"You know why she's always late? It's 'cause Kinomoto has magic!" Yamazaki said.

Eriol and Tomoyo cast nervous glance to each other. "Wh-What are you talking about, Yamazaki?" Tomoyo asked. Eriol nodded. "I don't think Sakura doesn't have magic…"

Chiharu gave a victorious smile. "See Yamazaki? They don't believe your lies. Even Eriol who would usually go along with you isn't saying anything." Yamazaki blinked his already closed eyes. "But really. Once I saw her flying over Tomoeda! She had wings sprouted from her back!"

Naoko's eyes glimmered. "Really! Sakura can fly!"

Eriol laughed nervously. "N-No way. Sakura? Flying?"

"It seems highly impossible, doesn't it?" Tomoyo added.

Chiharu bopped Yamazaki on the head. "You dumdum. Stop lying. C'mon let's go back to ours seats. Sensei's here."

"Good morning everyone," the sensei said entering he room, "Hurry to your seats. Class is going to begin."

After the teacher finished organizing some papers, he looked at his watch and smiled a bit. "I'm afraid Kinomoto's going to have a detention again. She's still not here." He chuckled a little, wrinkling his aged face. The class laughed along with him.

"Anyway, it seems we have a new student. We're not sure how long he's staying but let's welcome him anyway."

Everyone looked at the door dully. Most of the time all the new kids were mostly kids or people who just didn't fit into their class. But when the new kid walked in they – mostly the girls – gaped at him with their mouths wide open. He walked calmly over to the front of the class, his head bent down.

"This is," the teacher looked at his paper, "This is Li Syaoran. He came all the way from Hong Kong just yesterday," he said.

Syaoran looked around the class and caught sight of Hiiragazawa and that Daidouji girl. The girl waved and smiled while Hiiragazawa smirked. Syaoran growled. Seeing that Hiiragazawa was the one who made him go to this stupid class in this stupid school, Syaoran didn't really like him at the moment. Syaoran wasn't even _supposed_ to be in this grade! He was supposed to be a junior, not a damn sophomore! But the school secretary had told him that he had to do sophomore year because something about China's teaching wasn't like Japan's. But Syaoran had scowled through the whole explanation, knowing that it wasn't true. Someone was behind it, wanting him to be in the sophomore class. And who else can it be other than that damn Hiiragazawa? Him and his damn magic...

The girls of the class were going crazy at the sight of him. They were all whispering, giggling and saying things like: "Look at the Li guy! He's so cute!" "Oh gosh…thank god he's the new student!" "Do you think he has a girlfriend?" Eriol almost laughed out loud at Syaoran's face when he saw his reaction to all the whispers. It was hilarious. It was obvious that Syaoran _did not_ like attention. The rest of the class however, was bustling with excitement and whispers that soon became louder.

The teacher tried to disrupt all the noise erupting from the class. He never thought that the kids would be all worked up on a transfer student. His glasses were starting to slip off his nose as he desperately slapped his ruler on his desk, saying: "Class, please calm down now!" His patience was thinning. He opened his mouth to scream but luckily for the noisy class, the door opened with a bam.

There stood Sakura panting heavily. One arm was leaning against the doorway while the other held her bag. The loud, sudden bam from the door quieted the class immediately.  
"Hoee…gomen ne, sensei," Sakura said between pants, "I woke up late again." She bowed down apologetically. "Gomen, gomen, gomen…"

The class tried to stifle their giggles as the teacher looked at her disapprovingly. Sakura, red with embarrassment, sweat dropped as she saw that all the eyes were staring at her. But then someone who was still standing up in the front of the class caught her eye. Piercing amber eyes greeted her along with a small frown. It was the person she had least expected to see...and least wanted to see.

Syaoran gave her with a curt nod.

Sakura looked back and greeted him with a dull, "Li."

The class quite baffled at the scene. They were all wondering the same thing. Syaoran hadn't come in until yesterday as the teacher told them. How did Sakura know this guy? The most surprising thing to them however, is how Sakura was acting towards the new boy. Usually, even to the new kids, Sakura would smile as brightly as the sun and greet them happily, so this was quite odd. There were two people in the crowd that weren't baffled, though. And the azure eyed boy with glasses and the long haired maiden were actually very amused at the sight.

The teacher cleared his throat to disrupt the uneasy silence. "Since you and Li here seem acquainted, I'll leave him to you to tour the school, Kinomoto," he said, clearly unknowing to all the tension between the two.

Sakura's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. No way can the sensei be serious about this! Leave _her_ with _him_! _The antisocial boy who she was 'connected' to?_ Just the thought of walking with him through the quiet halls made her shiver. So of course she said, "No way!"

The class was quiet at her outburst. Sakura usually got along with everyone so why was she so intent about not touring the school with the new guy? Tomoyo and Eriol however started to laugh quietly as soon as the teacher suggested the idea. Unfortunately for them, Sakura and Syaoran spotted them and glared.

The teacher was not used to his suggestions being rejected by his students so he insisted with a very stern voice that Sakura should show Li the building once again.

Syaoran smirked as he watched Sakura squirming. He felt her nervousness inside of him. It was a funny sight actually. "Sensei, it's okay," Syaoran said, feigning innocence. "If Kinomoto doesn't want to show me the school, it's quite all right. I understand."

Sakura's eyes shot him daggers as he did his little "innocent" charade. Hah! This rude, obnoxious little brat was definitely far from innocent! But Syaoran took all her glares with a slight smirk.

" Kinomoto Sakura, I urge you to show Li around the place at lunch time," the sensei said with a very demanding voice.

Sakura sighed in despair and nodded slowly. Oh how she hated that Li! Great. Now she had to spend her lunchtime with that...that _thing_. She slowly took her seat in the corner near the window. She was stationed next to Tomoyo who was in front of Eriol. As she was walking she turned her head to glare at Syaoran. She sat down at her desk angrily and slouched.

"Okay, Li, let's find you a seat," sensei said, scanning the room. "Hmm, where's an empty seat?"

Syaoran and Sakura groaned in unison. The only empty seat was behind Sakura. So of course the teacher made him sit there. When Syaoran sat at his new seat, Sakura angrily looked at her teacher who went on with a new lesson. Syaoran meanwhile angrily glared at her head. Eriol and Tomoyo caught each other's eyes and smiled. From now on things were going to be interesting…really interesting...

-

"So Eriol, why did you say that you needed my help last night?" Tomoyo asked facing the half reincarnation of Clow.

They were alone in the empty hallway. It was lunch period and most of the students were either in the cafeteria or outside, enjoying the sunny day while eating their lunches.

"Tomoyo," Eriol began, "Do you want to know the real reason why I brought Sakura and Syaoran together here in Japan and why I think they are connected to each other?"

Tomoyo nodded. She was still quite baffled at that. She was sure that the others were confused as well.

"Well, you know what I read in one of my books?" Eriol asked. "I read that when two people can feel each others emotions, it usually means something…"

"Like what, Eriol?" Tomoyo asked. She was dying in suspense. Eriol always liked keeping his ideas in suspense from people to enjoy seeing their anxious faces.

"Like maybe…being destined to be together?" Eriol said with a smirk.

Tomoyo's jaw dropped. "Are you serious, Eriol? Don't tell me that this is one of the little jokes you've been planning with Yamazaki."

He smiled. "Don't worry, Tomoyo. Don't you usually know whether I'm lying or not? Besides, think about it. If Syaoran was supposed to come to Japan anyway, wouldn't you think something big would've happened between Sakura and him?"

Tomoyo thought for awhile. "Maybe…but what's the proof of that? For all we know, Li and Sakura could've hated each other if Li came here when he was ten."

"The proof is them! The reason they are '_connected'_ is because Syaoran was supposed to come here and fall in love with Sakura! And I'm pretty sure that she's supposed to love him back. Since he didn't come here when he was ten, I think they developed that connection to each other because _they're meant to be together_."

"But Eriol, that's a pretty big theory. Are you sure it is right?"

"Yes," he said with confidence. He smirked. "Besides, even if they aren't meant to be together, it doesn't mean they _can't_ be together. I think Sakura could really change my cute little descendant if he lets her." Tomoyo noticed a sudden change in his expression. His eyes were full of sorrow. "I mean, I understand that life is hard for him. His father died when he was young and he had to replace his father and be the Li Clan leader at the age of ten. He's been down in despair ever since then. What I want is to see him do is smile again. All he ever does his frown and smirk but he never gives a real smile or laugh with happiness shown in it. I really think that Sakura is the one who could make him smile again…"

Tomoyo was touched by Eriol's desire to help his friend. He seemed to really look out for Li, as if he were the older brother. Even through the rude things Li had said, Eriol still wanted to help him. This was one of the many things she loved about him. He was always there for his friends, constantly helping them or looking out for them. How could she ever say no to a great friend like Eriol? Besides this seemed like it was going to be fun. Who could refuse changing a rude, arrogant but obviously hot person like Li to a sweet caring one and then hooking the new improved even cuter Syaoran up with her best friends who was desperately in need of a boyfriend! KAWAII! She could see it now. Li and Sakura walking along a park walking hand in hand...KAWAII! Picturing Li and Sakura together sure wasn't hard now.

Tomoyo smiled. "I'll do it, Eriol. I'll help."

Eriol's eyes lit up behind his glasses. Tomoyo was glad that he was smiling again. It was hard to see such a creative, smart, hot guy being gloomy especially when he usually smiled all the time.

"Thank you so much, Tomoyo! I really owe you one!"

Tomoyo smiled. "I'll remember that."

This was going to be so much fun!

-

Sakura led Syaoran through the empty, quiet halls of the school. Every student was eating their lunch outside because it was an absolutely beautiful day and the teachers were probably at the teachers' lounge. Sakura sighed. This was not the way she was expecting to spend her day today. She was planning to come to school early, get some good grades, have a great lunch with Tomoyo and Eriol, go through the rest of the day at school, and then go home. She practically stomped along the hallway, her angry footsteps being the only thing heard.

"Kinomoto," Syaoran said suddenly.

"What?" she asked with annoyance in her voice.

"Aren't you going to talk about all the rooms and stuff? Like in real tours?"

"Sensei never said I had to talk," she replied shortly.

Syaonra could feel her growing anger. "Well, aren't we in a bad mood today?" his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Sakura stopped and stood right in front of him. "Of course I'm in a bad mood! I was planning to wake up early, go to school, have lunch with Tomoyo and Eriol and go home! But then Kero woke me up late and when I got to school, _you_ were here! It's just my luck!"

Syaoran kept a straight face through the whole thing. "Wow…That's one of the few times I've felt you _this_ angry."

"You're the only one that I've ever met that I've ever been angry at. And you're the only one I hate," Sakura said glaring daggers at the amber eyed face.

"I'm not hateable, Kinomoto," Syaoran replied shortly.

"Uh-huh…right."

Then he smirked. "Sensei seemed to like me more than he liked you today."

Sakura growled. "Hey! You pretended to be all innocent!"

"Did I?"

Sakura sighed in frustration. She simply couldn't deal with this guy anymore! She had thought that maybe he was a good person underneath those layers of coldness. It turns out that maybe those layers were thicker than she thought. "I'm out of here. I'm going outside."

She started walking quickly to the door which led to the courtyard. But then Syaoran caught up to her and walked beside her. She sighed again. This guy just wanted to torture her didn't he?

"I'm going outside, too. So I'll just follow you," Syaoran said, keeping his pace the same as hers. It was too funny when he annoyed her. It was amusing...he could torture her all day just by hanging around her. It was even more amusing when he knew that she rarely felt angry at anyone.

Sakura sighed as she briskly walked through the hallway. This was going to be a long day.

-

Tomoyo and Eriol were already sitting down underneath a tree, obtaining shade from the hot sun.

"So we know what to do when they come right?" Eriol asked her as they ate their lunches from their laps.

She smiled and nodded. "It's a good thing that Chiharu and Yamazaki agreed to help with our plan."

Eriol nodded. "We'll have to thank them later."

"Eriol, they're coming!" she whispered. They saw Syaoran and Sakura walking towards them.

They became silent as the two sat next to them. Sakura sighed in frustration as she got her lunch out, noticing the annoying teen still there. She sighed. "Hey Tomoyo. Hey Eriol. I hope you guys don't mind Li here. He followed me here."

"It's all right, Sakura," Tomoyo said, smiling as she always did.

Syaoran grabbed his chopsticks and his lunch. "I just wanted to see what happens in the daily life of the great Card Mistress. So tell me, are you always late for school and getting scolded by the teacher?"

Sakura mumbled something under her breath and took a shrimp from her lunch and ate it. Li was getting on her nerves. She ignored him as they all continued to eat in silence. Oh how she hated Li.

Suddenly Li took a shrimp from her lunch.

"Hey!" Sakura yelled at him. "Shrimp's my favorite!"

Syaoran chewed the shrimp and swallowed. "That's some good lunch you have there, Kinomoto."

"Are you listening to me! Don't take my lunch!" Sakura whined.

"My, my Syaoran," Eriol said swallowing his food. "Already flirting with the girls, I see. I mean you barely talk at all and here you are flirting? Tsk tsk tsk..."

Syaoran took some food from his own lunch and ate it. "I don't see any girls here but Daidouji. How could you say I'm flirting?"

Tomoyo and Eriol laughed as Sakura fumed with anger and hit his head hard.

"Itai…You're so violent, Card Mistress…" Syaoran rubbed the back of his head and smirked. "Kinomoto, it's so fun seeing you angry…"

Sakura ignored the comment.

After a few silent seconds, Tomoyo stretched her arms and yawned. "I'm so tired. That math test wore me out."

Suddenly a ringing was heard coming from her bag.

"Gomen, it's my cell phone. I'll pick it up. Excuse me…" Tomoyo took the phone and walked away quickly from the group.

Eriol smiled. It was an excellent performance. He knew that Tomoyo would be great at this. "So Syaoran, how are things back in Hong Kong?" Eriol asked.

As Eriol suspected, Syaoran looked down sadly and said nothing. He knew Syaoran would suddenly feel the weight of responsibility on his shoulders again just by hearing about Hong Kong. Syaoran hated it. Eriol hated to constantly do this to him but it was part of the plan.

Sakura felt the sadness from Syaoran and took a glance at him.

"E-Everything's fine, Hiiragazawa…" Syaoran said after awhile.

Eriol coughed. "Look Syaoran, I didn't mean-"

Yamazaki suddenly came up to them with a basketball in one hand. "Oy! Hiiragazawa! Want to play basketball? We need one more guy."

Eriol stood up. "G-Gomen, Syaoran…" he said before going off to the basketball court.

Silence filled the atmosphere as Syaoran was still looking down at his food and Sakura glanced at him occasionally. It was weird seeing Li in his sad mood again and not his obnoxious one. It made her nervous and she tried to find a way to get out of there but she couldn't find any. Her eyes darted around the place and she could find no reason to leave. The sudden sound of his voice made her jump.

"Go ahead," Syaoran said, his head still down. "Go ahead and just go away. You don't have to be all nervous like that around me."

Sakura felt the peevish boy disappear for a second. She actually pitied him. Li must have been through a lot for him to become like that. It made her sad to see him-

"STOP!" Syaoran yelled finally looking at her with angry eyes. "The one thing I hate more than nervousness is pity! Don't you dare pity me!"

Sakura actually trembled under his fiery amber gaze. He was extremely mad…she could feel it. "I-I'm sorry."

Syaoran stared down at her menacingly. He hated it when people pitied him. Just because they had perfect lives doesn't mean that they had the right to feel sorrow for 'the poor little boy with all the responsibility.' Just because this girl was the Card Mistress, didn't mean she was an exception to how he usually acted towards girls. This was the person who could feel his every emotion, know when he's pissed off or upset, and most of all, this girl knew that he was still lingering in his past and he wanted no one..._no one_...to know he was still thinking about his father. He couldn't and wouldn't go easy on this girl. Hey, he hadn't been nice to anybody since he was little. He wasn't going to start now.

Syaoran looked away from Sakura. "You're not worth glaring at, Kinomoto…"

Sakura blinked in confusion. Syaoran was scowling at her one minute and ignoring her the next. Syaoran noticed this and grunted. "Hey Kinomoto, would you rather have me glaring at you or ignoring you? Your pick."

"I'd rather have neither," Sakura said unexpectedly.

Syaoran turned his head to face her. Usually people would say 'ignoring' or just be silent, not wanting to answer to the cold question. The Card Mistress is highly unusual. "Huh? What are you talking about?" Syaoran asked, slightly amused. He still felt her nervousness.

"Well." Sakura said slowly and tensely. "I-I'd rather be friends with someone than being ignored or glared at…"

Syaoran lifted one eyebrow. Boy, was this girl weird. They were both silent for a moment before Syaoran spoke. "You're weird, Kinomoto."

Sakura pouted. "Hey! I'm not weird! I'd just rather be friends with you then being enemies. Besides if we weren't '_connected_' we would be friends, ne?"

"I wouldn't even know you if that were the case."

"Oh, but there's always a chance of you coming here isn't there? I mean, how busy were you when you were first initiated anyway?"

Syaoran's eyes shadowed, hearing the question. Oh, he was far busier than most kids at age ten. Filing papers, sustaining their businesses, listening to different proposals, studying, training, training, training...oh that was how busy he was. At the time de couldn't even go to school. He was home schooled by their butler and friend, Wei. But the training was the worst. He learned martial arts and how to use magic properly from the Elders after his father died. He remembered those days. Syaoran used to meet with some of the Elders and they would instruct him to do different things. Not only that, they even fought with him, constantly trying to make him better. Syaoran remembered all those bruises and scars he received from their powerful magic. He had ached all over, but yet, after the training they forced him to study until late at night.

Sakura knew she had said something to upset him again as he became silent again. Not only that gave her a clue but the throbbing sadness in her heart contributed to her conclusion as well. She had some kind of talent for making him feel bad. Before anyone had a chance to talk, the school bell rang, signaling that lunch was over.

Syaoran stood up quickly while packing up his unfinished lunch. He left not looking at Sakura at all. He was far away before Sakura could say anything. She sighed looking at his back. It was so hard making friends with him!

Syaoran was the one who was weird…not her…

-

Sakura watched the amber eyed boy swiftly grab the basketball and swish it in the hoop. The girls who were with her were swooning over him, screaming and cheering. The thing was, Li never noticed the way those girls looked at him. He was concentrating all his thoughts on playing the best he can in the game. He was the new guy and everyone liked him already but he didn't even know it! Suddenly Sakura felt someone nudging her arm and she turned to see who it was.

"What, Tomoyo?" she asked seeing the raven haired maiden smiling at her.

"Li is very good at sports, ne? The P.E. teacher really likes him. He was good at soccer, at baseball and now he's excelling in basketball too! His attitude may not be all that great but his sportsmanship is!" Tomoyo was saying. She carefully studied Sakura's expression as this happened.

"Hai, hai…he's pretty good," Sakura said with a scowl. "And weird."

Tomoyo smiled but sighed a bit unnoticeably. Sakura didn't like him a bit. But maybe it would change soon. Maybe Sakura will start to fall in love with him and then slowly change the arrogant boy. Even though it seemed impossible, Tomoyo was floating in happiness! It would make the perfect video!  
Sakura and Tomoyo were silent as they watched Chiharu on the balance beam. It was P.E. and the guys in their class were playing basketball while the girls worked on gymnastics.  
As Chiharu finished, everybody clapped. "Chiharu! It was great!" Sakura exclaimed happily.

Chiharu sweat dropped. "Arigatou. But you should see the way _you_ are on the balance beam, Sakura."

"Yeah, Sakura. You're really good," Tomoyo added.

Sakura smiled and blushed in embarrassment. "Hoee? Not really…"

The teacher's whistle blew. "Kinomoto! You're next!"

-

"Great game, Li. Wow you're really good at everything," Yamazaki said. The boys sat against the gym wall drinking water from their water bottles.

Eriol adjusted his glasses, wiping off the sweat on his forehead. "You really impressed the girls, Syaoran," he said with a smirk.

"Yeah, you should've seen them. They were swooning like crazy. I wish I were you, Li," Yamazaki added.

"Huh? What are you talking about? You noticed all that while you were playing?" Syaoran asked. He wondered how they could play while taking in all their surroundings. IT was always better to just concentrate on what you're doing so you'll accomplish it with good results. Well, that's how he was taught anyway.

"Of course! That's the point of playing basketball while they're around!" Yamazaki said laughing, "Boy Li, you need to get out more!"

Syaoran raised an eyebrow, amused at the conversation. Barely anyone talked to him about girls so it was a change. He didn't really know what to say. "Um, Which ones?"

Yamazaki smiled. "Well I'm going out with Chiharu right now so I guess I shouldn't be looking at the other girls." He said sheepishly. "Don't tell her I said that, okay?"

"How about you, Hiiragazawa? Don't tell me _you_ like someone," Syaoran said with a smirk on his face.

Eriol smiled. "Wipe off that smirk off your face Syaoran. I'll have you know that I'm very popular with the girls."

"That's true, they always cheer for you, Eriol." Yamazaki said. "But that gets me thinking. You never told us who you like, Eriol. Don't tell me you're still all embarrassed by telling someone who you like...that's so middle school..."

Yamazaki laughed while Eriol glared at him. Syaoran smirked at him, enjoying all the Eriol bashings.

"So that's why you've never had a girlfriend, Hiiragazawa," Syaoran said. Eriol glared at him.

"Yes that's true, I admit that," Eriol said pouting a bit, "And it's pretty unlucky for me but I've still got my eye on someone. But you know, _you_ have never been on a relationship, Syaoran. So you can't say anything," Eriol smiled at the glaring Syaoran.

Yamazaki stared wide-eyed at him. "No way! That's definitely not what I would expect, Li!" he said laughing.

Syaoran shrugged. "I'm not really interested."

Yamazaki and Eriol looked at each other, with a shocked look on their faces. "You're not interested…in _girls_?"

Just then the teacher blew his whistle. "Kinomoto," he said. "You're next."

All the boys around them quickly stopped their talking and eagerly watched Sakura with her balance beam routine.

"Heh. It's Sakura," a boy close by said loudly. "More than half of the boys in our school like her."

Syaoran blinked in surprise then turned to the balance beam which Sakura mounted on. His eyebrow rose. "Kinomoto! _That_ girl!"

They nodded in unison, watching her on the balance beam. No way! That scrawny, little, annoying Card Mistress was one of the girls that boys had their eye on? But then again, he didn't know anything about girls.

"Why?" Syaoran asked, turning to watch her, still finding it hard to believe that the person he was _bonded_ to was popular among the males.

"Well," Eriol said his azure eyes glittering as he observed Syaoran's expression. "Sakura's really popular, likable, nice, has a great personality, is really athletic, has lots of good friends, is pretty smart, and has a good reputation. Lots of guys would die to be her boyfriend. Wouldn't you agree, Syaoran?"

Syaoran watched Sakura balancing on the beam with both arms out. Her face was deep in concentration and she didn't notice all the eyes that were on her. She did flips and handstands on the beam with ease as people watched her intently. She neared the end of the routine she did a flip in the air and landed on both feet on the mat below.  
Everyone cheered and clapped for the perfect performance as she smiled in embarrassment. All except Syaoran. But, he was still watching her.

Eriol andYamazaki smirked at each other. "Are you impressed, Syaoran?" Yamazaki asked.

The question brought him to quickly tear his eyes from the smiling girl. "I-I…not really…but I must admit that she was pretty good. Except for some parts when she lost her balance and her form wasn't correct," Syaoran said.

But Yamazaki laughed. "Li, you're falling for that girl, aren't you?"

Syaoran rolled his eyes. "Far from that, baka. C'mon let's play another game." He grabbed a basketball and stood up.

As Syaoran and Yamazaki left and went on the court, Eriol smiled to himself. He had never heard him stutter like that before. "She's changing him already…"

-

"Want to do something today, Tomoyo? Like go shopping or something? Or the movies?" Sakura asked excitedly. The last bell had just rung, signaling that school was over...finally. They were in the hallway trying not to get squished as a wave of students rushed by them to get out of the horrid school grounds.

"Sure, Sakura. What should we do?" Tomoyo asked.

"You girls going somewhere?" Eriol asked overhearing their conversation.

Sakura nodded. "Wanna come?" She was thrilled. It would be the perfect afternoon with just her, Tomoyo, and Eriol just hanging out, laughing and talking. It would make up for the terrible school day. Just hanging out with them would make up for meeting Li.

Eriol shrugged. "Sure. But…" He threw a smirk towards Syaoran's way. The amber eyed boy was just about to leave the classroom. He was walking quietly trying to discreetly get away.

Sakura groaned quietly and hoped that what Eriol was about to say didn't involve the rat. "But what, Eriol?" Sakura asked hopefully praying that she won't hear Li's name in his response.

Eriol smiled as turned to Syaoran. " Li Syaoran! You better not leave!"

Syaoran immediately began to sulk as soon as he heard Eriol. He groaned. "Hiiragazawa! I gotta get home and do my homework. This Japanese homework looks a lot harder than I-"

Eriol quickly walked up to him and dragged him back over to Tomoyo and Sakura. He smirked. "C'mon Syaoran. You could make up a better excuse than that. You know as well as I do that this homework is easy as cake for you."

Syaoran groaned but didn't respond. He crossed his arms in annoyance.

Eriol turned to Sakura and Tomoyo. "I'm supposed to tour with him around Tomoeda. It was a special request from Yelan today. Is it all right for both of us to come with you?"

Sakura was about to protest when Tomoyo spoke first. "That's a great idea! We'd love to tour with you, Li! Right Sakura?" she asked.

Sakura sighed. Tomoyo seemed like she really wanted to tour the place with Eriol and Li. Who'd on earth want to hang out with _him_? She groaned inwardly. She'd have to walk around aimlessly with that arrogant boy behind her..._again_! But she wanted Tomoyo and Eriol to be happy so of course she reluctantly consented. "Okay, okay. Let's go…"

**TO BE CONTINUED **


	4. Bonding

**Tied by Fate  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer**: I don't own CCS or the original characters from CCS.

* * *

**Chapter 4:** Bonding

The four teens walked slowly through the quiet yet peaceful streets of Tomoeda. They had already visited some places they had always went to like King Penguin Park, the shopping center, Maki's store called _Twin Bells_, the library where they usually studied at, the movie theater, and the arcade. Syaoran, although trying to hide it, was interested in the small town. It was really tiny compared to Hong Kong, but for some strange reason, it seemed to hold more surprises. Tomoyo caught him looking up at the sky most of the time.

"Ne, Li. Have you ever seen trees?" Tomoyo teased.

He scowled and turned away. "Of course I have. I'm not stupid."

"Then why do you keep looking up at the trees above us then?" she asked as she pointed up at the cherry blossom trees that covered the blue sky from their view.

"It's weird seeing trees so pink…" Syaoran muttered, "In Hong Kong, it's a really big city. Mostly it's all big buildings that I see except for the occasional park here and there."

Tomoyo smiled. "So you have never seen cherry blossoms?"

Sakura gasped in shock, momentarily forgetting how mad she was at Li. "What! You've never seen cherry blossoms!" Who would be ever so crazy to never see cherry blossoms! They were her favorite flowers in the world.

"Well, I don't see them often…" he admitted quietly.

"We know a park that's filled with cherry blossoms," Eriol said smirking, suddenly forming a new idea in his mind.

Sakura nodded ardently. "That's right! C'mon we'll take you there!" Excited by the urge of seeing the cherry blossom tree park, her favorite park, she grabbed Syaoran's hand and ran ahead of Tomoyo and Eriol.

"What the-" Syaoran said in surprise.

"Oh c'mon! I want to get there fast!" Sakura said giggling. For that split second, she didn't remember that this boy had been the stupid one who had just ruined her entire day. She forgot how they could feel each other's feelings. She was treating him like any other person she knew.

Syaoran ran behind her as she dragged him by the hand. As he heard their quick footsteps on the pavement, he felt the excitement emerging from her. She was excited just because they were going to see some stupid trees? Of course they were pretty trees, but after all, they were _just trees_. Syaoran became even more curious at her happy, cheerful behavior as he became aware that she was holding his hand with her own small hand. He thought that she hated him...but the idea of going to a park perks her right up? What the heck?

Eriol and Tomoyo stopped walking and watched them run, Syaoran lagging behind her with a confused look on his face.

"They _do_ make a cute couple…" Tomoyo said turning to Eriol.

"Yeah, now that I think about it, you're right," he agreed smiling.

"Maybe this won't be as impossible as I thought it would be." Tomoyo began following Sakura and Syaoran, but Eriol stopped her by grabbing her arm.

She blushed at his sudden touch but hid it well. "Eriol?"

Eriol gave her his cheerful smile once more. "Let's see what happened next…shhh…" He led her through another way towards the cherry blossom park.

-

As Sakura and Syaoran were heading towards the park, they passed through a small business area where a lot of people watched them in amazement. After all, they were running faster than everyone else. The people whispered and stared at them. Among these people were some kids in their class who were doing a little shopping. There were Rika, Naoko, Yamazaki, and Chiharu still dressed in their uniforms.

"Isn't that the new kid, Li Syaoran?" Naoko asked squinting through her glasses.

"Yeah, he's a pretty cool guy. I was playing basketball with him during gym," Yamazaki said.

Rika nodded, smiling. "Wow, he sure made friends with Sakura easily."

"But didn't you see them this morning?" Chiharu asked confusedly, "There seemed to be some kind of rivalry between them…"

"Yeah I noticed that. Hmm, looks like we have ourselves a mystery!" Naoko exclaimed with bright eyes.

They all sweat dropped.

"Hmm, that reminds me. Eriol and Tomoyo asked me to help them out at lunch today. All I had to do was ask Eriol if he wanted to play basketball when I saw him cough," Yamazaki said in confusion.

Chiharu nodded. "Yeah they asked me to help them out too, except I just had to call Tomoyo's cell phone when she yawned."

Rika and Naoko looked at each other in bafflement.

"What does that have to do with Sakura and Li?"

"Well," Yamazaki began, "They said that they-"

"-needed help in hooking them up-" Chiharu finished.

Rika and Naoko stood wide eyed and jaw dropped. "Sakura? And Li?...Together?"

Yamazaki nodded as he thought about the matter. After a while he said, "You know, maybe their destinies are intertwined with each other…"

The three girls looked at each other. Chiharu rolled her eyes. Not another story. "Now where'd you get a story like that from, Yamazaki?"

"Eriol let me borrow this book that I saw he was reading one day during lunch break. Actually, I'd seen him reading that same book for about two weeks and I was getting curious so I asked him one day if he had finished reading the book yet."

"What did he say?"

"He said that he was and that he was rereading the book over and over again because he might've missed something. I was really curious that I asked if I could borrow it. At first he was kinda hesitant but he let me borrow it."

"What's the book about, Yamazaki? Maybe I'll borrow it next," Naoko asked with a smile of excitement. Books always excited her.

"Uh…it was about destinies. It said that sometimes, two people's destinies are entwined with each other's and even if they never meet, they always feel something missing inside of them. They're destined to be together."

"Wait, you mean 'destined' as in destined to be a couple?" Chiharu asked curiously.

"Yup. After I finished the book, I thought it was pretty weird for Eriol to read that and I even said to him that the book was pretty odd."

"What did Eriol say?" Rika asked.

Yamazaki shrugged. "He just laughed and said that it was research for Sakura and his other friend from Hong Kong."

" Hong Kong? You think it's Syaoran Li? He was from Hong Kong." Chiharu exclaimed.

"I don't know. But if you think about it, Eriol did know that we were having a new student coming soon…" Rika mused aloud.

"That's right! Everything seems to be coming together! C'mon let's go follow Li and Sakura! This sounds like a perfect romance story!" Naoko squealed as she started running after Sakura and Syaoran.

Yamazaki looked proud. "See Chiharu? I knew that I'd become useful one day!" And off he went to follow.

Rika turned to Chiharu. "I'm not sure if I believe in the whole 'destinies intertwined' thing but…"

"…This _does_ seem like a perfect romance story!" Chiharu exclaimed excitedly.

Rika smiled. "Yup! And you know how we are with romance stories!"

Chiharu nodded with a girlish giggle. "Let's go!"

-

"Kinomoto!" Syaoran yelled, tired of being pulled around.

"What!" Sakura asked as she kept on dragging him.

"Would you stop!" he hissed, "people are staring!"

"Oh be quiet! We're almost there!"

"F-Finally…" Syaoran whispered as he collapsed on the grass. "I thought I was gonna die…"

"Don't run much, Li?" Sakura teased. She was a little more in front of him, her eyes staring into the sky.

Syaoran scowled. "I do! I'm just not used to being dragged around!"

But he heard no response from Sakura. She was staring into the trees surrounding them. And quite happily, he might add. Actually, he felt more than happiness coming from her. It was like she was in perfect heaven with no worries or problems at all. Why'd she be so happy about seeing a couple of trees? He had to admit that the cherry blossom trees were really beautiful but why would she be so cheerful? He looked at Sakura in confusion and stayed still on the grass as cherry blossoms slowly trickled onto the ground.

Sakura smiled, breathing in the fresh scent of cherry blossoms in the air. This place was so relaxing to her. She giggled a bit, sensing Syaoran's confusion. He was probably puzzled on why she was so happy to be here, in this simple, small park. She smirked. Let him be confused. Right now she was enjoying the park…the small bit of her memory of her mother.

-

"Shh, Yamazaki!" Chiharu hissed as he stepped on a twig by accident.

"Gomen…"

Chiharu, Rika, Naoko and Yamazaki were crouching down behind some bushes, watching the scene before them.

"It's like a perfect romantic scene from a book!" Naoko said. " _'He sat on the cherry blossom covered ground as she stood a little way in front of him, loving the trees surrounding her. The cherry blossoms slowly fell to the ground around them, as they stayed still in silence just enjoying each other's company. She turned around slowly, a smile on her face as she heard him slowly stand up and walk up to her. They stood a couple of inches apart, staring into each other's face and a small smile on each of their lips. Everything was still and silent except the blossoms gently blanketing the ground as she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her even closer with his hands around her waist and there…there they shared their first kiss. It was the gentlest, most passionate kiss ever and they were happy just to be in each other's arms.' _"

The three girls sighed in delight after the small scene that Naoko had just thought of from the top of her head. Yamazaki rolled his eyes. "I can think of a better one than that crummy thing!"

"Go ahead, Yamazaki! I bet you can't!" Naoko retorted.

"Would you guys be quiet! They might hear us!" Chiharu hissed.

"Chiharu?" a voice said behind them.

The four froze. They were in trouble now…

They turned around slowly, Yamazaki already thinking up an excuse. "Uh...we can explain this! We're not spying! W-We're looking out for an alien who was reported to be wandering around here!"

As they fully turned around they sighed in relief. "Tomoyo! Eriol!"

Tomoyo and Eriol laughed. "Scared you?"

"Yeah," Rika said, "Don't do that ever again."

They crouched down beside their friends. "Anything happen yet?" Tomoyo asked excitedly as she whipped out her trusty camera from her school bag.

"Not much happened. They've been in the same spot for about four minutes now," Naoko explained boredly.

"Damn. Well, let's see if anything happens," Eriol suggested.

Chiharu agreed. "Yeah. By the way, why are you here?"

"We should say the same to you guys."

Tomoyo shushed them down. "Shh. I want to try to hear them."

-

Everything was silent as Sakura just watched the trees. No one moved, no one spoke.

"Hey," Syaoran said suddenly, "Isn't Sakura the Japanese word for cherry blossom?"

Sakura giggled as she turned around. "So now you talk?"

He ignored the question. "Well is it?"

Sakura just smiled as she went and sat next to Syaoran on the cherry blossom covered grass. Everything was silent again.

Finally Sakura spoke again. "My mother named me Sakura. She named me after one of her favorite flowers. That's why this place reminds me of her."

Syaoran looked up at her, surprised at her sudden openness to talk...especially after the long day at school when she had been angry as heck at him. "Really?"

Sakura nodded. "My mom was the greatest. Everybody says so. She had long, beautiful silver hair, bright emerald eyes, was really cheerful, was loved by everyone and she was even a famous model."

Syaoran was puzzled. He felt her love she had for her mother was really strong. He never cared for anyone like that before. He was really amused at the conversation. "I don't remember seeing anyone like that when I came to your house."

Sakura didn't respond and although she was still smiling, it was a fake smile. Syaoran felt it. Her admired emotions for her mother suddenly disappeared out of nowhere and now all she was feeling was sadness. What did he say?

"It's okay, Li. You don't have to be nervous," Sakura said looking at him. There was still a forced smile on her lips. "M-My mother wasn't there because…because…she hasn't been here since I was three years old."

Syaoran was stunned. No wonder she was so upset. How could he have been so stupid to ask a question out of the blue like that? Now he had made her miserable. That was such a stupid thing to-

"Don't stress over it, Li," Sakura said suddenly. She had picked up on his uneasiness quickly. Syaoran didn't answer. He didn't know what to say.

"I was barely two," Sakura began, "when they found out that my mother was ill. My father, brother and I were there by her side the whole way. She died when I was three…But to tell you the truth, I feel guilty…I don't remember her at all," she said, a sad smile on her face, "My father and brother are always saying great things about her. _'She was the greatest model' 'She was really gentle and caring' 'She was clumsy but lovable'_…I never knew her. Or at least I don't remember her. If only…if only I was a bit older."

Syaoran nodded. "I know how you feel. Why does death always have to happen to the great people?" he whispered.

"You liked your father?"

"I-I guess. Back then, I guess he was my role model. He taught me everything: magic, sword fighting, everything and anything I would ask him to teach me, he would. He was one of those quiet ones, like me I guess. My sisters say that I look exactly like him; the same untidy brown hair except a little shorter, the same amber eyes, the same assertive attitude. I guess I pretty much take after my father, not my mother. I used to follow him around everywhere, asking him these annoying questions." Syaoran sighed. "I wanted to be so much like him." Sadness filled his already cold heart and Sakura felt his pain again. It seemed never ending. The pain in his heart never went away and he somehow began thinking wistfully of his father, his idol, and the memories sprang up once again. But with the memories came the hurt. The hurt and the pressure his father had left on his son's shoulders. Sakura frowned. No one should live like this. No one deserved this, even someone as annoying as him.

"_Wanted_ to?" Sakura asked.

Syaoran nodded. "_Wanted_. Past tense. Meaning: _not anymore_."

"Why?"

He looked at the trees sadly, silently, his amber eyes filled with such hurt and anger. "He left me. He left. He left with a damn gory, horrible death. I still remember…the gunshots, him falling, the blood. That day, he left everything to me. I had the whole clan in my hands. I had the power to be a leader at age _eight_. But I didn't want any of that. I wanted a father. Who else was I to turn to after that night? My mother? Hah. All I do is bring her painful memories of her beloved husband. I look exactly like him. Whenever she turns to look at me, I see how sad she feels. My sisters were sad too, but not as much as me. They had each other and Mother. They all take after her, you know; the regal feeling around them, their happy personalities. But I had no one. He was the only one like me. I-I guess you could say I'm angry at him. I hate him… I missed all those years of being a regular teenager. I missed the years where I could have been watching TV, laughing with some friends, playing pranks, having crushes on girls. You know, I think the girl thing is a really big issue. The guys here are obsessed with them," he said, trying to lighten up the mood, remembering his conversation with Yamazaki and Eriol.

Sakura smiled sadly. He was trying so hard not to make it a big deal. But she could feel it. He was miserable inside.

"Don't tell me you've never had a crush on a person," Sakura said.

"Hey. Don't give me that. At least I'm not in love with my guardian's other form. Now what was his name? Yuki...? Well it had something to do with snow," Syaoran said with a smirk.

She turned bright red. "What! How did you-"

"Guess having this telepathic feeling thing is not that useless."

Sakura covered her crimson face with her hands. "No…no…!"

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," Syaoran smirked. "Maybe…"

"Hey! Promise me you won't tell!" Sakura yelled as she turned to look at him.

Syaoran rolled his eyes. "Promises, promises. Okay, okay. I wasn't gonna tell anyone anyway."

"Even so, you still promise?"

"Yeah, yeah," Syaoran grumbled.

Sakura held out her pinky. "Pinky swear on it."

He looked at her like she was crazy. "What?"

"Pinky swear on it!" she exclaimed.

"You can't be serious."

Sakura didn't respond. But Syaoran knew she was serious just by the look in her eye. Eventually he gave up to it and held up his pinky. What an odd girl.

"Fine, fine. I pinky swear on it," he muttered.

Sakura smiled and took his pinky in hers and then after a second let go.

Syaoran looked at her, his eyebrow raised. "What are you, six years old?"

"Nope," she answered standing up, "I'm sixteen."

Syaoran rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Sakura scanned the park quickly. Syaoran got up and stood behind her. "Something wrong?"

Sakura faced him a confused expression on her face. "Did you notice that Tomoyo and Eriol still aren't here?"

"Oh yeah…I forgot about Hiiragazawa…"

-

Tomoyo and Eriol stiffened. "Uh-oh, they noticed that we're gone," Eriol said. Tomoyo nodded behind her video camera.

"Oh, let them wonder where you guys are," Yamazaki said.

"Yeah, even though we can't hear a word, it looks like they're starting to warm up to each other," Rika agreed.

Chiharu giggled. "Even Li, even though I can't believe it. I didn't know that he could talk that much to Sakura."

"I guess he really feels comfortable with her around. Usually he wouldn't even talk about anything even to his own family," Eriol said.

"That leads me to a question," Naoko said, "Are you really trying to hook Sakura and Li up?"

Eriol smiled. "Is it _that_ obvious?"

"Well, if you are, we want to help!" Naoko said excitedly. She turned to her friends who agreed immediately.

Tomoyo smiled as she put her camera away. "Thanks a lot you guys. This should be fun!"

"What should be fun?"

The group of six teens turned around startled by the voice. They had turned their backs to where Syaoran and Sakura had been but that obviously wasn't a good idea. Syaoran and Sakura had shown up behind them unexpectedly.

"What should be fun, guys?" Sakura repeated. Syaoran stood silently, his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed. He knew something was up. Especially since Daidouji had her camera out recording them and since they were all crouching on the grass.

"N-Nothing," Naoko stuttered while fiddling with her glasses nervously.

"We were saying how scary it is that when ghosts get angry they can possess a person's body and-"

Chiharu immediately slapped her boyfriend behind his head.

"Hoee? Gh-Ghosts?" Sakura shuddered a bit. Oh how she hated those horrid ghosts.

"How the hell can that be fun?" Syaoran asked rather angrily.

Rika looked at the others nervously. "Uh…Chiharu will tell you."

She nudged Chiharu with her elbow as Chiharu glared at her momentarily. "We…uhh…we were…just uhh…"

"We were planning to go to that new game where you and a group of friends go through this path and hunt down as many monsters and ghosts and other imaginary scary things that try to attack you," Tomoyo said calmly with a smile.

"That sounds scary!" Sakura said as she sweat dropped.

Syaoran still had his eyes narrowed as he glared at Eriol. He was still suspicious. But Eriol just gave his usual smile.

"They say it's really popular," Eriol said, "Would you guys like to come? We're planning of going on the weekend."

Syaoran shrugged and looked away, still skeptical about the whole thing. It surely sounded like an excuse to cover something up. "Whatever."

"How about you, Sakura?"

Sakura sweat dropped. "Uh, I-I don't think so."

Syaoran smirked sensing her nervousness growing with every second. "Now don't tell me that _you're_ afraid of monsters."

"I-I'm not afraid of monsters!" Sakura retorted.

"Kinomoto is afraid of _ghosts_. But you can't really blame her for being afraid of them because aside from possessing people's bodies they can-" But Yamazaki was yet again interrupted by a slap to his head from Chiharu.

Sakura looked at him in shock. "Yamazaki!"

Yamazaki looked at her sheepishly. "Woops. Didn't know you didn't want me to tell."

Syaoran continued smirking. Sakura looked at him pleadingly. "Oh please don't start!"

"Sorry, Kinomoto. I'll never forget this little fact. So…Kinomoto is afraid of ghosts, eh?"

Sakura sighed. Tomoyo patted her back. "Don't worry Sakura. Maybe he'll forget by tomorrow," she whispered trying to comfort her friend.

"Don't count on that…"

"Well if you don't want to go then it's okay. We'd really like you to be there though, Sakura," Rika said with a pout.

"Aw c'mon, Kinomoto. Go. It would be fun to see you trembling with fear from virtual holograms," Syaoran said snickering a bit.

Eriol gave him a scolding look that told him to shut up but Syaoran just shrugged.

Sakura frowned. "If my fears are a source of entertainment to you, Li, then I'm definitely not going!"

"Hey Kinomoto, I was only kiddi-"

But she glared at him and interrupted. "I'm not going and that's final!"

-

When Sakura got home she was exhausted from the day's events. She couldn't believe that Li! He seemed so sincere and gentle while she was talking to him about their pasts but when the subject about going to that game he totally was a different person. She sighed as she collapsed on the couch. Her father was out staying late at his university where he taught as a professor and Touya was out on his job. Knowing that they were alone, Kero soon floated down the steps and sat on Sakura's lap.

"Hard day, kid?" he asked.

"You have no idea," she said, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.

"Well I've had a great day!" Kero said, "I beat that new video game that you got, FFX-2. It's really cool! That Gippal dude who's the head of the Machina Faction reminds me of me. That's why I think he's the coolest. Oh! Oh! And I got the perfect ending too!" Kero glowed with pride.

She smiled at the small guardian. "That's great, Kero. Sounds like you've had a really good day."

"What happened in your day?"

Sakura sighed in frustration. "I just don't get him!" she said suddenly, "Today, things were looking up but then it suddenly fell down again!"

Kero flew over to sit on his mistress' shoulder. "It's that gaki isn't it?"

"Hoee? Gaki?"

" Li Syaoran. He acts like a real gaki."

Sakura giggled. "Kero! W-Well I guess he does a little. I'm trying to get to know him more though."

"Don't even try, Sakura. That kid's had too many bad things happen to him and he's never warmed up to anyone and probably never smiled since his father died. What makes you think he'll act different to you?"

Sakura was silent. Kero was speaking the truth. She knew he was. But she couldn't get that feeling out. The feeling where she knew he would change and become a better person. He started talking to her about his past today, wasn't that a start? It seemed so...she had barely expected to be sitting in such a romantic place with all those cheery blossoms cascading around them and be civilly _talking_ to him. If you asked her, she'd rather have Yukito with her instead of him, no offense...

She heard the front door open and Kero instantly fell on her lap as a 'stuffed animal'.

Touya walked into the room tiredly and fell beside his sister on the couch. He noticed her tired appearance. "Tough day, kaijuu?"

Sakura glared at him. "Don't even start with me…"

Suddenly another person appeared behind her brother. He smiled at Sakura. "Hey Sakura."

She suddenly perked right up at the sight of him. She blushed and smiled back. "Yukito!"

Touya stood up. "Yuki, why don't you stay for dinner? I'll start cooking now," he said walking towards the kitchen.

"Oh, I will if you don't mine. Do you need help, Touya?" he asked politely.

"Nope." And then Touya left the room.

Yukito took the seat next to Sakura. "You look tired, Sakura. Are you okay?"

Sakura nodded, blushing. "I-I'm okay. It's just been a weird day."

"You mean with Li around?"

She nodded again.

"Ah, I see. Well I think he's really a nice boy. He's just gone through a lot of things…" Yukito said.

"Yeah, probably. Why does he hate me so much though?" Sakura said with a groan.

"If you think about it, anyone else in his position would act that way. He probably thinks that you have a perfect life. The perfect life that he wishes he had. After all, what teenager wants to have that much responsibility?"

Sakura nodded. "That's true." She considered this thoughtfully.

Yukito smiled gently. Touya then popped his head into the room. "Hey Yuki, what time are you going to work tomorrow?"

"Oh, probably early morning," he replied.

Sakura giggled. "I can't believe you guys are still switching from job to job."

"Well we need money. And we can't get full time jobs with the classes from college. So we've gotta find a good job that pays us good," Touya said. Then he popped back into the kitchen to work on the food.

"So where's your new job this time?" Sakura asked.

"It's at this new place in the center of town. It's pretty popular right now. It's a game where the people that come go through a path and shoot hologram monsters with laser guns," Yukito answered.

Sakura's ears perked up. "You guys work there?"

He nodded. "It's a pretty exhilarating place, actually. But we only greet people at the door and give them their equipment. Although for lunch break everyday, we get to through the trail for free! Isn't that neat? You should go there, Sakura."

Sakura's jaw dropped. So does that mean that she might see him there if she went with the others?

"Hey, Yuki, Kaijuu. Time to eat!" Touya shouted from the kitchen.

Yukito stood up. "Well let's go eat, Sakura."

As she stood up, gently carrying Kero, she shook her head. "No, you go on ahead. I have to make a phone call."

He nodded. "See you at the table."

Sakura ran up to her room as fast as lightening and threw Kero onto the bed.

"Ouch! Hey!" he shouted getting trapped under the blanket.

"Gomen, Kero!" Sakura said as she fumbled around in her schoolbag.

"Sakura, let's go to that virtual place! Please! Bring me there! You owe me one after leaving me here bored to death!" Kero complained fluttering all around her annoyingly.

Sakura rolled her eyes. Just a second ago he was saying how much fun he had playing his video game and now he's saying that he was bored to death! Well, she couldn't pay attention right now though. She was busy trying to find her cell phone.

"Please, Sakura!" Kero whined, "I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY WANT TO GO!"

Sakura was frustrated as she looked around on her room, ignoring the little bear's complaints. "Hey Kero, where's my cell phone!"

"I'll tell you if you promise to bring me to that virtual place!" he said.

Sakura sighed and nodded. She should've known he would do that. "Fine."

Kero pointed to her study table. "It's under that pile of papers."

Sakura scrambled to her desk and immediately found her phone, carelessly knocking the pile of paper to the floor. Meanwhile, Kero was jumping around on the bed saying "Yay! I'm gonna kick those monster's butts!"

Sakura dialed Tomoyo's number and waited patiently as it rang. Finally, Tomoyo picked up. "Tomoyo!" Sakura said hastily, out of breath.

"Sakura? What's wrong?" came Tomoyo's worried voice from the other line.

Sakura grinned as she thought of Yukito. "You guys are still going to that virtual monster place, right?"

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	5. The Trail's Trials

**Tied by Fate  
By**: pnaixrose

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS! CLAMP does.

* * *

**Chapter 5:** The Trail's Trials

**_A tiring week of Syaoran teasing Sakura about ghosts later... _**

It was a quiet, sunny Saturday morning as a group of tired teens waited under the shade of a tree. They were all patiently waiting at the meeting bridge where most people met to hang out. But today was silent and they were the only ones there.

"Who the hell are we waiting for again?" Syaoran asked aggravatingly. He was the only one who wasn't patient. He was leaning against the bridge's railings, looking up at the blue sky. Never before had he seen such a blue sky. Even in the great city of Hong Kong, the skies weren't as blue as this. It was probably because it was usually blocked by the buildings.

"Syaoran, stop being rude," Eriol snapped. He too though was secretly tired of waited, but he was used to it. "Sakura's just running a bit late."

"A _bit_ late! You call twenty minutes a _bit_ late!" he argued.

Tomoyo giggled. "You'll have to get use to waiting if you're going to be seeing Sakura a lot," she said.

"Wait do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, Sakura's not exactly on time for anything," Chiharu said with a smile.

Naoko's wide rimmed glasses sparkled as she laughed. "So if you're going to date her, Li-kun, remember to tell her to come an hour before you actually come."

Syaoran eyes boggled out in shock. "_WHAT_! _DATE_! Who ever said I was going to _date_ her?" he said angrily.

"Well, Li, all this week you've been teasing her about the ghosts and stuff. And you do seem like you kinda want to her to come," Chiharu said smirking playfully.

"I just want to leave and get this day over with. Hiiragazawa was really the one who wanted me to come," Syaoran said taking a quick glare at Eriol. He in turn, just smiled as usual.

"Why do you call Eriol by Hiiragazawa still, Li? I thought you two have been friends for a long time," Rika quietly and curiously asked.

"Yeah, Syaoran," Eriol said smirking, "Why do you still call me Hiiragazawa? I'm practically your brother."

Syaoran narrowed his eyes. "Well _brother_, you didn't exactly help me out when I needed it, like when I was ten years old," he snapped coldly. With one more glare, he whipped around and went to look at the flowing water beneath them.

Eriol sighed as Rika, Chiharu, Yamazaki and Naoko wondered what happened between them. Now Rika wished she hadn't brought anything up and she silently scolded herself for bringing any bad memories for Li. He really did seem like a lonely person. Only Tomoyo had a pretty good idea though and she also sighed. But she hadn't known that Eriol and Li didn't exactly get along even now.

"Hey Syaoran, I said I was sorry, you know? I was forbidden to help you even though I wanted to!" Eriol said, breaking out of his usual cool, composed ways.

It was silent for a minute as they all just heard the rushing water.

"But you decided to help Kinomoto with her problem rather than mine?" Syaoran asked quietly, his back still to them.

This caused Chiharu, Naoko, Yamazaki and Rika some shock. What was happening here? Li knew Sakura before too? Well, whatever it was, it seemed pretty deep. It seemed as if they had this special, secret relationship or something. They knew they shouldn't get into it.

Eriol sighed deeply. "Syaoran-"

"Look, just forget it. It's past now," he said crossly.

"Even so, I want you to forgive me for not helping you," Eriol said. "I truly am sorry. You know that. I was forbidden to help, okay?"

Syaoran turned just a bit so he can stare at Eriol straight in the eyes. "Fine, I'll give you what you want. I forgive you, _Hiiragazawa_."

With a note of finality and some hatred, Syaoran turned around again to look down at the flowing water. He spotted a rock, stuck in the middle of the stream. The rock symbolized him, he realized. He was stuck in the middle of normal lives flowing past and around him, leaving him unmoved except for the small splashes of pity.

"You know what, I'm gonna take a walk," Syaoran said already walking off the bridge, not looking at them, "Call my cell when Kinomoto finally comes. _Hiiragazawa_ knows the number."

And off he went, noiselessly and briskly, into the trees.

-

Sakura ran as fast as she could, her shoes slapping the pavement noisily. She was slightly sweating from rushing so fast and also from nervousness. Ever since she had called Tomoyo to tell her she wanted to come after all, she's been nervous and she sort of regretted it. But she told herself over and over again that Yuki was going to be there so she eventually forced her to go. But since she had been contemplating whether or not to go this morning again, she realized she was late and had to rush.

As she ran, her small handbag was being thrown recklessly around in the process. Kero appeared from out of the zipper.

"S-S-a-a-k-k-u-u-r-r-a-a...s-s-l-l-o-o-w-w...d-d-o-o-w-w-n-n!" he said, his voice going with the rhythm of how she was running. His eyes were swirls due to the dizziness that he felt.

"Kero! Get back into that bag! I'm twenty minutes late!" Sakura yelled still running.

Kero, eyes still swirling, fell down into the bag once more and closed the zipper.

She was practically there. She was already inside the park where the bridge was. That was where they were supposed to meet. Just a few more minutes and she'd–

Suddenly a sharp pain rushed through her body. Sakura stopped running abruptly.

No, not again. Sakura placed her hand near her heart, where it hurt the most. The pain didn't give mercy. It was sharp and just wouldn't stop hurting.

But it was different this time. It was stronger, more intense than before, and it actually caused serious, physical pain to her.

She dropped the bag with Kero inside and sank down on her knees to the ground. Kero immediately came out. "Hey! Sakura! Are you okay?" He floated over to his mistress worriedly, "Sakura!"

"Make it stop..." Sakura muttered closing her eyes tight, trying to block the pain with no avail. Anger, sadness, loneliness, pain, isolation, misery...they all were felt as she trembled under the pain. She never knew that _emotions_ could ever hurt this much. But then she realized...the only reason she felt like this was...

"L-Li..."

-

Syaoran walked slowly and silently through the empty park. He was alone again, as always. He had his eyes narrowed as he stared down at the ground. He couldn't believe Hiiragazawa! How could he not have helped him through those years! And yet, he had went running to Tomoeda to help Kinomoto with the Clow Cards! And he wants him to call him by his _first name_! Hah! Hiiragazawa had said that they were practically brothers! He wasn't even a proper friend! No one was! He was alone! A loner! He would always be one, no matter what! He had no friends at all in Hong Kong, except for a few relative acquaintances. He went to school in a normal high school, but never once had people talked to him willingly. They all knew where he stood. He was a Li, part of the infamous Li Clan. The Li Clan was well known. They had many successful businesses and were wealthy. But they didn't know that Syaoran managed all those businesses and was the leader. They didn't know anything about what he had gone through. They avoided Syaoran as if he was a fly on the wall. Besides, he wasn't exactly the friendliest person in school. He was silent throughout the day and was out absent on most days when the Clan needed him. But he didn't care about them.

He couldn't take it anymore...the sadness...the loneliness...it was all too much for him now. But he couldn't find a way to let it out. He _definitely_ couldn't tell anyone how he was feeling, and even crying didn't help. In fact, he hadn't cried since he was around five years old. He didn't even cry when his father died...and had never cried again. But how? How! How could he let off some steam when there was absolutely no one to talk to? None of his family would like the subject of the conversation and neither would his friends...wait...he didn't even have any fucking friends! No one was with him...he was alone...

Syaoran stopped walking suddenly as the thoughts still ran through his mind. A frantic voice was heard in front of him. It sounded vaguely familiar. He then remembered the annoying little voice. It belonged to that Cerberus stuffed doll! Sakura's guardian! Was Sakura here then? Syaoran listened closer. The voice was frantically yelling. It sounded worried...

Syaoran, not even knowing he had left his spot where he was standing, suddenly felt the urge to run towards that frantic voice. He felt something was wrong...terribly wrong...

When he arrived at the scene, he spotted a person knelt down on their knees. The small guardian was frantically flying around her. His eyes widened in horror. Oh no...

"Kinomoto?"

The person looked up slowly. One of her emerald eyes were closed in pain, the other one barely opened. But it was her. No one else had those most captivating emerald eyes that she had. When she noticed him there, she forced a strained smile. "Li..."

Kero flew up to Syaoran, frowning, nearly wanting to punch the guy in the face. "It's all your fault Gaki! Stop doing it to her!"

Syaoran was alarmed and looked at the guardian in confusion. "What! I didn't do anything!"

"Stop thinking! Stop thinking the thoughts that hurt you the most!" Kero yelled, his small eyes beady and angry and his round head covered in teeny tiny bits of sweat, "In fact! Stop thinking at all! You're only hurting her!"

Syaoran's eyes widened and he immediately knelt down in front of the pained figure of Sakura, his hands on her shoulders. "Kinomoto...are you okay?"

Sakura ignored the question as she cringed in pain. "Li! Wh-What's wrong? Why are you in pain?"

His grip on her shoulder tightened a bit. "Stop thinking about me and think about yourself, dammit!"

Sakura just looked at him sadly as she trembled under his hands. "B-But y-you're the one who's in greater pain..."

Syaoran was struck by this. He realized that it was indeed true...but why was she worried about him? Why would she worry about someone else when she was in pain, too.

"GAKI! Stop thinking the thoughts!" Kero yelled.

Syaoran immediately tried to rid of the thoughts. The thoughts...the anger...hate...loneliness...NO! He couldn't think of them! He shut his eyes, trying to find anything...anything at all that was happy. School? No. His mother? No. His sisters? No. His home? No. His wealth? No. His clan? Definitely no. But what else was there? Was it true that nothing in his life was happy? Nothing at all in his life was happy!

"Ah..." Sakura groaned. Syaoran bit his bottom lip trying to think more. He tried to find something, anything that was at least content in his life. But he realized that his whole life was pitiful. Nothing seemed to be happy.

He was about to give up hope when suddenly he remembered the day before, how he had been talking to Kinomoto at the park. He had been quite content at that time. It had been quite peaceful just being with her, the cherry blossoms falling to the ground around them. He didn't even regret spilling his feelings about his life to her. He had never felt that way before...to anyone...except her...  
Suddenly he felt the shivering stop and he opened his eyes. The sight he saw was simply...beautiful – no...even more beautiful than beautiful. Those gorgeous emerald eyes looking up at him, that innocent face...she was better.

"Are you okay?" Syaoran whispered.

Sakura nodded. In one second the pain had just vanished slowly but surely. She wondered what he had been thinking about. What had made him stop those awful, sad thoughts of his?

Syaoran helped her up and looked at her guiltily. He never knew that thinking would ever harm anyone. But then again, this was a very unique connection they had. He didn't want it anymore. He didn't want to just think and hurt someone. His thoughts were his and only his. No one else should be able to feel it...or even worst...get hurt by it. Sakura had the worst side of this connection. She had to feel all the pain he felt while Syaoran only felt a bubbling, joyful feeling whenever she was thinking or feeling something. She would never feel any sadness or barely any real anger, so he would never feel any pain...just her happiness. Syaoran bit on his bottom lip. He was always the one causing the pain. To his mother and sisters, because he looked exactly like his father...to the Elders, because he wouldn't be as great as his father was...to Hiiragazawa, because Syaoran will never forgive him...and now Sakura. He didn't want to hurt her. He didn't want it anymore. But how can he hide his thoughts especially now that he barely could keep it all inside. He hid his eyes from Sakura guiltily. He couldn't look at her knowing that he had caused her to double over and feel all those sad emotions.

Sakura felt the guilt from him and smiled. He was worried? _The _Li Syaoran was guilty and worried?

"Why are you smiling? I practically hurt you," Syaoran said, looking away.

"But you're worried...that's something I never thought you'd be."

Syaoran was silent. But he knew she was right. He wouldn't have been worried usually, but here he was helping her. What was wrong with him?

"Li...what made you so sa-"

Kero suddenly cut her off. He flew between them. "STOOOOPPPPP!"

He went to whisper to Sakura. "If you remind him, he might start thinking about it all over again!"

Sakura nodded. "But it wasn't like anything I felt before. It hurt more because he's in a deeper pain, Kero...can't you see it? He's sad and lonely and depressed. It seems as if he can't take it anymore..." She cast her emerald eyes towards Syaoran who stood there awkwardly.

Kero narrowed his eyes, feeling animosity towards that gaki. "Oh, who cares?"

Syaoran was the one who interrupted this time. "Kinomoto, you'd better go on ahead. They're not that far from here."

She nodded. "How about you?"

"I'll catch up."

With one last look to Syaoran, she then picked up her bag and walked away silently. When she was completely gone, Syaoran sighed.

Kero went up to his face. "Finally we get to talk." But he wasn't in his usual good mood. His mistress had been hurt and there was nothing he could do. It made him feel helpless. And this gaki was the one who was causing the hurt and anguish.

Kero pointed an accusing paw at Syaoran as he just looked back at the doll emotionlessly. "I'm sworn to protect her but I couldn't do a thing! She was hurting from the inside but there was nothing I could do! It was all because of you that she suddenly felt immense pain. Now, I know that you're not exactly the happiest boy on earth. But, if being gloomy and thinking painful memories hurt Sakura too, you can count that I'll be right there to kick your ass. So if your thoughts ever hurt her again, I'll be there."

Syaoran nodded and sighed.

"I wish you hadn't come, Gaki. Life was so much easier just a few days ago. Then Sakura wouldn't be all stressed out trying to be your friend and then she wouldn't get hurt at all with your sad memories."

"I wish that too."

Kero glared at him. "Just don't think...or else it'll be better for you not to think at all...and I can arrange that if you want." He then turned around, his cruel words still vivid in the air, and tried to catch up with Sakura to hide in her bag.

Syaoran stood there. Even a stuffed toy had rejected him. But Cerberus was right...maybe it was better for him not to think at all. As weird as it was, Syaoran absolutely didn't want to hurt Kinomoto again...ever...

-

"Sugoi!" Chiharu exclaimed as she saw the building where the virtual monster place was.

"Isn't it cool, Rika?" Naoko asked smiling. Rika nodded.

There was a huge sign in front of the building. It read, "_The Trail's Trials_" and on one side of the sign was a huge person shooting the monster on the other side of the sign with a laser gun.

"They say that it's as if it's reality!" Naoko said excitedly.

"They say that it's fun and thrilling!" added Chiharu.

"It's also not that expensive!" Rika said with a smile.

"There's also many various kinds of monsters inside! Maybe some are-" Yamazaki was cut off by Chiharu's mallet which had appeared out of thin air.

Eriol frowned at the sight before them. "There's also a huge line..."

They looked down from the sign at the line and sweat dropped. It had to be at least a mile long! Some people were impatient and were complaining, while others were content and waiting pleasantly. But all of them were eager to play the new popular game. Tomoeda never really had a big attraction since it wasn't that big. But now that they had "_The Trail's Trials_," it seemed like even Tokyo residents were there!

"Hoee...oh well. I guess we can't go then!" Sakura said nervously.

But Chiharu grabbed her hand and ran towards the line. "Oh, c'mon, scaredy-cat! Let's go on line before it gets any longer!"

Chiharu dragged the anxious Sakura towards the line while the others followed. Syaoran, his mind somewhere else, was the last one to follow. Eriol, feeling a speck of Syaoran's magic being used and noticing his quietness, was instantly curious on what was on his mind. But after their little conversation at the park's bridge, he didn't want to anger his friend again so he kept quiet.

-

Rika yawned. "Oh gosh. I'm so tired! We've been waiting here for an hour! No wonder so many people are complaining."

Chiharu was restless and paced back and forth in front of them. "But it's a good thing we got here at 10:30 in the morning...I'm not sure how much longer we're going to wait!"

Yamazaki stretched out his arms as he looked at the long line behind them. "Whoa! Look at that line behind us!" The line was even longer than it was when they had first gotten there. "Oy, Naoko, you okay?" he asked as he noticed his friend standing there quietly.

Naoko was standing as still as a statue. Her mouth was opened and her eyes were drooping behind her wide-rimmed glasses.

"Remember, Naoko," she said to herself, looking like a complete maniac, "The wait will be worth it once you go inside...there's going to be monsters and all sorts of scary things..."

Yamazaki waved his hand in front of her face. Suddenly Naoko began to fall backwards. Rika caught her as Chiharu fanned Naoko's fainted face. Her eyes were swirly with dizziness.

"T-Too hot..." she groaned.

"Whoa, she fainted..." Chiharu said.

"No wonder too. It's so hot!" Eriol added.

Tomoyo however didn't mind the waiting or the heat from the sun. She was having a blast! She of course had her camcorder out recording everyone. Tomoyo sighed with pleasure as she focused the camera on Sakura. Sakura's tense face made her giggle.

"Oh, Sakura, are you still nervous? There's nothing to worry about!" she said from behind the camera.

Sakura frowned. "Hoee! Tomoyo! There are ghosts and monsters and ghouls and...and...everything else scary in there!"

Eriol smiled. "There's also Yukito in there!"

Everyone grinned except Syaoran, who was still as silent as a rock, not even looking at the group of friends. They all knew that Sakura had a crush on Tsukishiro Yukito ever since she was young.

Sakura's face immediately lit up. That's right. That was the reason she came in the first place. Yukito was here! "Oh all right...I'll go," Sakura said sighing. What she would do just for Yukito...

Tomoyo winked at Eriol for thanks while he just smiled.

Suddenly, a wave of muttering from the tired people was heard as they started to move forward. Naoko magically jumped out of her fainted state.

"Look! Look! We're moving! We're moving!" Her eyes were teary with excitement. Everyone else jumped out of their immobile states and followed the line. Syaoran of course, was the last in line, thinking deeply, while trying not to think. Sakura was the only one to notice his even more depressed expression.

-

"Finally! We're near the entrance!" Rika said with glee.

They were the next group of people ready to go inside. Right now however, the line was stopped to wait for the people who were already inside.

"There's no doubt that we'll go in this time," Chiharu said.

"Wai! We're going in!" Naoko yelled. "I can't wait to see all the monsters!"

At that, Sakura froze. She giggled nervously as she looked around. "I-I don't see Yukito anywhere..."

Tomoyo, still recording Sakura, said, "Oh, he's here. I'm sure of it."

"Look Kinomoto, isn't that him there?" Yamazaki said, pointing somewhere.

Sakura pushed him out of the way as she went to see where he was pointing to.

"Where? Where?" she said excitedly.

"Ouch..." Yamazaki said from the ground. They all laughed.

"Here you go, Yamazaki," Eriol said holding out his hand, "I'll help you up."

Yamazaki gratefully took it and Eriol helped him up. "Arigato, Eriol. You know, Kinomoto can be scary sometimes."

Suddenly they all heard Sakura yell, "Yukito!"

Yukito and Touya were seen walking up to them. Yukito had his usual cheery face and Touya had a small grin...that is he did until he saw Syaoran with the group.

"YOU!" he yelled, attracting the crowd around them.

Syaoran looked up for the first time since they had gotten there and noticed the angry Touya. "Oh, you again," he stated simply.

"What are you doing with my sister?" Touya yelled.

"Oh please, baka. Can't you see I'm here with lots more people than just your sister?" Syaoran asked rolling his eyes.

The crowd whispered and mumbled while noticing Touya's uniform as a worker here at "_The Trail's Trials_."

"_Baka!_ You..." Touya immediately lunged at Syaoran.

Fortunately, Yukito held him back and Touya struggled against him. "Touya! You're attracting so many people! Stop shouting!"

"B-But that Gaki-"

"Oh leave Li-kun alone. I'm sure he didn't mean any harm. And he _is_ right. He's here with his other friends too, not just Sakura," Yukito said, desperately trying to calm him down.

Touya sighed and stopped struggling. "Okay, okay. But if he goes even a step close to Sakura, then..."

Sakura sweat dropped. "T-Touya, don't worry so much."

"Well," Yukito said looking at his wristwatch, trying to break the tension, "It's noon now. We're on our break, so we can go in with you guys if you want."

"Really? WAI!" Sakura yelled, stars gleaming in her eyes.

Syaoran raised an eyebrow at her as he felt an overwhelming happiness fill inside him. Wow, she really did like him after all. This was the first time he witnessed her being in one of her 'floaty' moods.

"Would you mind telling us the rules and stuff first?" Rika suggested.

"Oh right," Touya said, beginning to recite his lines. "_The Trail's Trials_ is a virtual monster trail. It is one big, enormous trail with 50 different places where the teams start. They split you into groups of two and set you into the different places where you start and when you hear that the intercom says to go, you start. Throughout the trail, you may see your other friends and you can join up with them. Before all that though, they'll give you electronic eye visors, so that the monster holograms will seem real and to add a fun twist to the game, and your laser gun which will be attached to your vest. Monsters -holograms of course- will pop up here and there to try to hit you. If they do, you'll know when your vest starts vibrating. You're Health Points will also go down. You have 2000 HP when you first start, and you can see how much you have by looking at the right hand bottom corner of your eye visor screen. When your HP is low, your eye visor screen will blink red and say 'CAUTION'. If your HP _does _goes down to zero, then your eye visor shuts down and you are considered as non-active. You have to stay in your spot and an assistant will then go get you and lead you to your nearest exit. Your partner, however can either keep playing, or forfeit with you unless you both got killed at the same time.

"The monsters on the trail are both easy and hard. The easier ones can be found more at the beginning and the harder ones in the back. The easy ones are usually smaller and are killed with only one shot, while the harder ones are bigger and it will take a couple of shots to beat it. There's a treasure chest filled with gold deep at the end of the trail. If you ever reach that and beat the boss monster, you'll win a prize and your names will be on our plaque showing all the people that have finished it. But be careful, near that area is the hardest monsters.

"You have 30 minutes to try to get that treasure chest. But usually, you just kill as much monsters as you can to get the highest points. You don't get a prize, but you can compete against your friends that way. You can view your points by looking on the left hand bottom corner of your visor screen, opposite to your HP. And I think that's all."

"Whoa...it seems fun!" Chiharu said jumping in excitement.

"And look," Yamazaki said pointing to something, "The plaque is empty! No one has even beaten the trail yet!"

"Remember, Yamazaki," Naoko said, "This is a new attraction. Maybe _we'll_ be the first ones!" Her eyes were bright with thrill.

Sakura sweat dropped. "I don't think so..."

"Oh c'mon, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo said, focusing her camera on her, "Have a little faith!"

Yukito smiled down at Tomoyo. "Oh yeah, I just remembered! Sorry Daidouji-san, but no electronics allowed. You'll have to leave your camera inside where they keep all the bags and coats," he said.

Tomoyo sighed with disappointment as she turned off her camera. "Oh, all right. I won't be able to record my Sakura winning that treasure chest!"

"You should pick your groups now, actually," Yukito said, "We're about to go in."

Rika and Naoko looked at each other, smiling. "We're partners!" they said in unison.

Tomoyo whispered to Eriol. "I have a feeling Sakura will pick Yukito so we can't continue our plan..." she said in disappointment.

Eriol smiled back. "Don't worry; I have a plan. Just get ready for the next phase of our plan."

"What is it?"

"You'll see inside."

Tomoyo frowned. "Aw...I hate it when you're all secretive!"

Eriol smirked his flirtatious smirk. "Ah, but my dear Tomoyo, being mysterious is exactly why the ladies go crazy for dear sweet, innocent Eriol."

Tomoyo smiled at Eriol's joke and punched him lightly on the arm playfully. "Maybe it is."

Eriol raised his eyebrow in confusion. He hadn't expected her to flirt back. The great Clow Reed reincarnate was actually puzzled. "Uh..."

But before Eriol could say anything, Tomoyo smiled a warm smile and grabbed his arm. "I call Eriol!"

Chiharu grabbed her boyfriend's arm. "I guess I'll be partners with you as long as you don't tell any stories..."

Yamazaki smiled. "Okay. But did you know that virtual games such as these are sometimes dangerous because if you play it too long, your mind becomes entranced with it and you get stuck in the game? If-"

Chiharu sweat dropped and smacked him across the head.

Sakura shyly looked at Yukito. "Umm..."

Yukito smiled. "Yes?"

"Umm...I...uhh..."

"Wanna be partners, Sakura-chan?" Yukito asked gently.

Sakura blushed crimson as she shyly nodded. You'd think at age sixteen she'd be confident enough to ask a boy something, right? Well, talking to boys wasn't really one of her strengths, especially when it came to Yukito. She only talked to boys normally when they were good friends like Eriol and Yamazaki. This got Sakura thinking. If she didn't exactly talk to boys a lot, then why had she been talking to Li so easily at the park the day before? She had poured out her heart and soul about her mother. She had been so relaxed and comfortable with him, unlike most of the time in school when the boys were staring at her. The weird thing was that he wasn't even friendly to her! There was just something about him. As she reminisced the week that had just passed, she suddenly remembered how Li had been so eager to see her and her fear of ghosts, and now he wasn't. Did it have something to do to what have happened earlier? Suddenly, she felt a speck of confusion that wasn't hers. Sakura glanced at Li curiously and was surprised to see that he had been staring at her. But of course, he quickly looked away.

Syaoran almost smacked himself when he saw Kinomoto glance his way and catch him looking at her. He had just been curiously listening in when she had asked Tsukishiro to be her partner. He felt a small fire inside of him and quickly hid it away before Kinomoto could have felt it too. He had just been wondering what that fire was. It wasn't anything that he had felt before. Maybe this is what they called...jealousy? No, that couldn't be. Why would he be jealous? He was so confused that he didn't even notice he was staring straight at her until she looked at him.  
Syaoran sighed. It was so hard not to try to think of anything saddening. But during the time when they were waiting on line, he had actually found out someway to block his feelings from hers. He created a sort of shield with his magic somehow and shielded his emotions from hers. But he needed complete concentration on it. That was the reason he hadn't talked the whole way. Another way he discovered was by...now you won't believe this but...by thinking of Kinomoto. Kinomoto was just...different. There was something about her.

As he was thinking, he suddenly realized something as the people around him paired up. If Hiiragazawa was with Daidouji, Sasaki was with Yanagisawa, Mihara was with Yamazaki, and Kinomoto was with Tsukishiro, then he was with-

Touya grunted angrily. "I guess I'm with you, _Gaki_."

Syaoran glared at him. "I don't really care, _baka_."

They had another quick glaring contest before they were interrupted by Naoko's scream.

"AH! We're going in!"

-

Sakura started shivering as she stood at her starting point, next to Yukito. They were between two rocks – most probably fake – while a long grassy road – probably fake too – lay before them. A door was behind them, where an attendant was waiting to start activating the game. Sakura had her vest and laser gun and even her eye visor on. She trembled and bit her bottom lip with the nervousness that had disappeared when she had seen Yukito. But now that she was here, it had come back.

Yukito smiled down at her small frame from behind his eye visor screen. "Ah, Sakura, you don't like ghosts and monsters all that much do you?"

Sakura froze at the mere mention of them and nodded slowly.

He chuckled. "Don't worry it's just a game."

"B-But-"

"To make you feel better, just remember that I'll be there to protect you, Sakura-chan!" Yukito said his arm in the air.

Sakura blushed and nodded with a blush on her face. It wouldn't be that bad with Yukito.

-

"Naoko! This is so exciting!" Rika said. She and Naoko had started in a place where there was a small, running waterfall to one side of them, a big rock to the other side of them and a grassy road in front of them.

"It's great so far!" Rika added taking in the scenery. She still couldn't believe that all this was inside a building! Everything was fake, but that was better than nothing. The company who owned this must be really rich to afford it.

"Just wait until you see the monsters, Rika!" Naoko said, smiling underneath her visor.

Rika smiled and sweat dropped. "Oh Naoko..."

"Hey, Rika, do you think the plan will really work?" Naoko asked her.

"What plan?"

"You know, Operation S&S."

Rika blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"That's what I decided to call matching up Sakura and Li."

"Why S&S?"

"Sakura and Syaoran."

"Oh!" Rika clapped. "That's really clever."

Naoko glowed with pride. "But do you think it will work? It doesn't seem it will."

"Well, to tell you the truth, Naoko, I'm scared of Li!" Rika said blushing in embarrassment.

Now it was time for Naoko to blink in confusion. "Why?"

"Well, he's so quiet and it seems like his past is so sad or something. Remember when we were waiting for Sakura at the bridge? It seemed as if he was hurting inside from what something Eriol did."

"But I can't believe Eriol doing something bad," Naoko mused.

Rika nodded. "I know. But Li said something about him helping Sakura? How can helping be bad? I don't get it."

"You know what? Maybe Li is one of those paid assassins! Or maybe a serial killer!" Naoko's eyes brightened. "COOL!"

Rika however, being as innocent and proper as she is, shuddered. "Naoko! That's not true! Li's not a serial killer!"

Naoko grinned. "I'm just kidding, Rika. But it would make a good mystery. Maybe I'll start a book! 'The Assassin and his Match up with Sakura.'"

Rika giggled. "The title could use a little work, don't you think?"

Naoko smiled and the two girls giggled.

-

"Sugoi! Look Yamazaki!" Chiharu said as they entered their starting point. They stood awe struck as they stood beneath a huge bridge made of rock. In front of them, like all the others, lay a huge grassy road.

"You'd better stay by me, Chiharu," Yamazaki said, "You don't want to get killed by those petty monsters do you?" He teasingly placed an arm around her shoulder.

Chiharu sighed but smiled. "You know, when you're not telling stories and when you're flirting, you seem like a normal guy, Yamazaki."

He grinned proudly. "Ah ha! So you _do_ love me!"

Chiharu rolled her eyes. "Of course I love you, you nitwit."

"Oh! Did you know that the word 'love' originated back in colonial times in America? Usually the wives would do all the housework and go to the market to shop for their food, but when they were really tired and couldn't get up to get the food from the market, they used to tell their husbands to get it for them even though it was weird for the males to buy the food. But the husbands of course didn't know what or how much to get so they just bought lots and lots of loaves of bread. When he returned home, the wife would be so surprised at the loaves of bread because there was so much that they could survive on the loaves for two weeks. She would get so happy and the husband wouldn't even know what he did. So the word 'love' originated from the word 'loaf' as in loaf of bread," Yamazaki said.

Chiharu sighed and slapped him across the head as always. Yamazaki and his stories would never change. But she secretly liked him that way.

He laughed. "They would even sometimes make 'loaf' to each other that night. That's why the couples where the husbands bought food more often had more children that didn't."

Chiharu giggled. "You baka."

Yamazaki smiled cutely at her. "I 'loaf' you..."

She rolled her eyes but smiled at his cuteness. "I 'loaf' you too."

And then she kissed him quickly on the lips. Yamazaki grabbed her before she moved away and kissed her back, sweetly.

"See Chiharu? I knew my stories would benefit me some day!" Yamazaki said grinning.

Chiharu laughed and punched him lightly on the arm.

-

"This is where we start?" Eriol asked as they entered the room after following an attendant. They were stationed what looked like a cave. Rocks and dust covered the rocky cavern.

"It's supposed to be kind of like rock tunnel. But as we walk on, the road will turn out to be the other grassy ones the others have," Tomoyo said fixing her hair into a bun.

"Ah, I see," Eriol said curiously. Tomoyo seemed to know too much about this place. Maybe she found out from somewhere? "What are you doing?" he asked seeing her struggle with her beautiful long hair.

"I'm tying it into a bun. The eye visors look terrible with my long hair left down," she said as she finished up the hairdo and fixed and adjusted her visor. "There...done." She gave him a pretty smile.

Eriol faced her until they were only a few inches apart and smiled. She looked beautiful either way. He loved her amethyst eyes and her smooth, pale skin. He loved how she was refined and poised, yet pretty athletic, really smart and a bit kooky especially if you gave her anything that had to do with electronics. He lovingly lifted a stray strand of hair on her face and tucked it behind her ear. "Tomoyo, you know that with either your hair up in a hairdo, or down, you always look beautiful..."

Tomyo's heart beat faster and she felt a small tint of blush come across her face. Her nose filled with the smell of his cologne. Whoever made that cologne probably made it especially for him. He was acting unusually flirty these days. She wondered if he acted that way with every girl he got close to and felt a tint of jealousy. But she couldn't help it if he was desirable to every girl, including her. After all, Eriol was handsome, athletic and perfect in every single way. He was polite, gentleman-like, helpful, mysterious, romantic, smart, and she could go on and on and on. "Eriol?" she said quietly, her head starting to spin from bliss. Oh, how she loved the way he smiled; lopsided yet perfect. Wait, what was she thinking? This was one of her best friends and a sorcerer named Clow Reed! Was this wrong to love the reincarnation of the former most powerful sorcerer in the world?

Eriol immediately frowned and turned away from her. She swore she heard him say, "Is that all I am to you? Just _Clow_ _Reed_?"

Tomoyo blinked and asked, "What?"

He smiled a fake smile and said, "Hmm? I didn't say anything."

Tomoyo however knew otherwise just by looking at his eyes and nodded, knowing that he was lying. She wished they could start the game soon, or else she'd die with the uneasy silence.

-

Syaoran scanned the area they were stationed at as Touya looked blankly at his surroundings as if he knew it already.

"Pretty hi-tech isn't it?" Touya grunted as Syaoran looked around.

Syaoran just nodded. He hated Kinomoto Touya. But he had to be the one partnered up with him! Just his luck.

"Kinomoto," he said suddenly, "You do know that your sister likes that Tsukishiro guy, right?"

Sakura's brother raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Where'd that come from?"

"Just answer," Syaoran said forcefully.

Touya was silent for a minute until he finally answered. "Yeah, I know that the kaijuu likes Yuki. She's liked him since she met him."

"You do know that Tsukishiro is Yue's other form, right?"

Touya nodded. Boy, this gaki went straight to the point.

"Don't you think that Kinomoto likes Tsukishiro because she's attracted to his magic?" Syaoran asked.

Touya looked ahead blankly. "I don't think that's it. Sakura hasn't really liked anyone else besides Yuki, so I think she doesn't realize that she doesn't love him more than like a brother. But she stills gets floaty around him."

"...Do you stalk her or something...?" Syaoran asked

Touya glared at him. "_No_! In fact, Yuki was the one who pointed that out to me."

"Tsukishiro knows that she likes him?" Syaoran said in surprise.

Touya nodded. Then he realized who he was talking to and suspiciously looked at Syaoran with fiery eyes. "Why are you so interested in my sister?"

The teen quickly looked away. "I-I..." Why the hell _was_ he asking all these questions? This wasn't like him at all.

Touya grabbed Syaoran's shirt collar suddenly. "Gaki, I don't like how your attitude was the first time we met so I wouldn't approve of you," he said with narrowed eyes.

Syaoran, in realization, narrowed his amber eyes in return. He pushed Touya back forcefully. "Wait, wait, wait! _You wouldn't approve_? Look Kinomoto, the day I liked your sister is the day that I would completely change! No offense, but I don't think your sister is _definitely_ not my type."

Touya glared at the young gaki, glaring back at him. Just because he had no longer had magic in him (he had given all of it to Yue so he could sustain himself) didn't mean that he couldn't sense things with his feelings. And right now, he _definitely_ felt that this stupid gaki would play a major role in Sakura's life. That meant only one thing; try to separate them as much as possible so that he wouldn't grow close to her. If Li did grow close to her, it was definite that his sister would get hurt.

"Li," Touya said staring straight ahead blankly once more, "Stay away from Sakura."

Suddenly, a loud intercom went on. "Attention monster slayers! Welcome to _The Trail's Trials_! Thank you very much for waiting! Now that's you've gotten your equipment and now that you know the rules, it's time to slay some monsters!" Touya and Syaoran heard cheering from the other players. "We will now be closing the entrance doors!"

The attendants smiled and said little things like "Good luck!" before closing the doors where our friends have entered through.

"At the sound of the bell, we will start the holographic monsters and your eye visors! Ready? Set? GO!"

Suddenly a sharp ringing was heard as Syaoran and Touya's eye visor screens turned on, the points on the left bottom hand corner – currently zero – and on the right, a number saying 2000 HP.

Touya looked at the brat. "Let's get this over with..."

And off they went on the trail.

-

Naoko and Rika walked down the grassy trail with various rocks on either side of them, cautiously looking all around them.

"Oh! I can't wait! I can't wait!" Naoko shrieked.

Rika smiled. "Naoko! Calm down!"

Suddenly a monster that looked like a purple cat with grey wings and a furry pink tail appeared. "WAI! It's a monster!" Naoko said excitedly.

Rika pointed her laser gun at the hologram, looking at it timidly. "Naoko! We're supposed to be killing the monsters! Not rejoicing to see them!"

Immediately, a laser sprang out from her gun as she pulled the trigger. It hit the monster and it turned red then disappeared.

"Sugoi, Rika-chan! You did it!" Naoko squealed.

Rika smiled, lifting her arm in victory. "Yatta! Well then again...the monsters here in the beginning are sure to be really easy."

The Points number on Rika's visor screen switch from 0 to 20.

-

Sakura grabbed Yukito's shirt after the intercom finished and the bell rang. "H-Hoee..."

Yukito smiled gently. "C'mon Sakura, let's try our best."

"H-Hai..."

They slowly walked forward on the fake grass, Sakura still clinging on to her knight in shining armor. Suddenly from behind a rock, a little creature flew in front of them. It looked like a little brown furball with big yellow and black eyes and small claws sticking out as arms. It blinked confusedly at them as it made a high pitched noise. "Kree?"

Sakura stopped hiding from Yukito's back. "Kawaii!" she said, her eyes twinkling.

Yukito smiled. "Careful, if it gets too close, it'll scratch you."

"That little cute thing?" Sakura asked.

Yukito nodded. "Why don't you shoot it now?"

Sakura nodded reluctantly, not wanting to hurt the monster. But then she remembered they were holographs and she pointed her gun at it. She pulled the trigger and the laser beam shot the furry, cute monster.

"Hey! I got it!" Sakura said jumping. Her Points changed from 0 to 20.

"See? This isn't so bad..."

Sakura nodded and blushed. "Th-Thanks for coming with me, Yukito-san!"

"No problem," he answered with a bright smile.

Sakura felt all mushy and lovey dovey inside. It was so great being with Yukito! And she was sure that he'd protect her from any ghosts. She glanced at him secretively. She loved his caring personality and the way he always seemed to make all things right. Sakura beamed. She was definitely in her 'floaty' moods.

Kero however felt quite the opposite of what Sakura felt. Hearing the conversation from Sakura's pocket, he rolled his puny eyes. "Gosh...I hate mushy stuff..."

-

Eriol and Tomoyo walked on through the cave silently, the uncomfortable tension still lingering between them. Suddenly two live sized bug looking monsters crossed their way. They were brown with fangs, sharp claws and horns.

"Finally," Eriol said, trying to lighten the mood, "I'll get to protect dear Tomoyo from these fiends!" He pointed his gun at one of the monsters and shot it. It disappeared immediately. But as he turned to shoot the other one too, he suddenly saw a laser beam hit it first and kill it. Tomoyo gave him a cute smile.

"Dear Tomoyo can fight too, you know," she said happily.

Eriol laughed as both their Points switched from 0 to 20.

-

Chiharu and Yamazaki, like all the others, walked on their trail, chattering about some things here and there. After a while, a monster flew from behind a tree. It was a weird looking monster. It looked like a bright yellow 5 corner star, except with two eyes, a mouth, rainbows and ribbons flowing from its back and lastly, brown shoes on its bottom two corners.

Yamazaki, of course, was instantly yapping. "You know, stars are said to be really, really bright things in the sky right? Well, that's not all it is. I heard they were planets home to hundreds and thousands of orange and yellow colored, glowing aliens! There are so many that they cover the whole planet! So when people look at the stars they're really seeing-"

Yamazaki stopped when he realized that Chiharu and the monster was gone. He looked frantically for her, hoping that the puny looking monster didn't get her. He saw her a few feet ahead of him, walking. He ran to her to catch up.

"Hey, where'd the monster go?" he asked when he caught up.

Chiharu kept walking, an annoyed expression on her face. "I killed it."

Yamazaki laughed. Yet again, he had irked her with his stories.

While Yamazaki was telling the bizarre story, Chiharu's Point count had raised to 20.

-

Expectedly, Touya and Syaoran weren't talking to each other as they walked slowly. But as four little waddling purple penguins carrying small swords and red shoulder armor walked towards them, things actually sped up. Touya shot one which instantly destroyed it but as he turned to shoot the others, Syaoran immediately killed the three remaining ones.

Touya glared at the young teen as he just looked ahead, expressionless. Syaoran's Points went to 60 as Touya's went only to 20. Suddenly Touya sprinted ahead. No matter what, this gaki would _not_ get higher points than he would.

Syaoran narrowed his eyes, knowing that a competition was on.

-

**_Some Minutes Later..._ **

Yamazaki and Chiharu were surrounded by six monsters that looked like black, overgrown hounds with large fangs.

"Oh no...the monsters are getting even harder..." Chiharu said worriedly.

She was right. As they had walked on, the monsters had grown stronger and now, they had to be hit about six times to disappear. Right now, Chiharu's HP was down to 200 while Yamazaki's was 300. Both their visor screen were blinking with the word CAUTION.

They stood back to back, watching the monsters carefully. As they lifted their guns to shoot, one monster leaped to Chiharu with its sharp fangs. She screamed and dropped her gun in fright which caused Yamazaki to be momentarily distracted while he tried to calm her down. A few seconds later, both their HPs were down to 0 and their visor screens shut off.

"Gomen, Yamazaki..." Chiharu said sadly, "I know that was stupid of me to get frightened by holograms." They could see an attendant in their recognizable uniform coming towards them.

Yamazaki smiled. "Oh don't worry. It was exciting. I hope you had fun though."

The attendant arrived and led them to the way out. Chiharu turned to Yamazaki and smiled. "Yup. I had a wonderful time! I'm glad you were my partner, Yamazaki!" She quickly kissed him on the cheek.

Yamazaki beamed.

-

After the couple had taken off their equipment and handed them in, they exited to the building's waiting lobby where people were waiting for their friends who were still inside.

"Oh look!" Chiharu said spotting someone waving to them, "It's Naoko and Rika."

They walked over to them who were sitting on a long couch attached to the wall.

"How long have you been sitting here?" Yamazaki asked.

"Just a few minutes. I died when a bunch of huge insects blocked our way," Naoko said sadly. But then she perked up. "Oh well. It was fun! Rika didn't lose all her HP but she decided to come with me anyway."

"Are the others still in there?" Chiharu asked.

Rika nodded and pointed to something on the wall. It was a huge big screen TV. It showed the players' statuses who were inside. There were only 12 groups left from the original 50 inside the trail and it seemed that every minute, a group would get eliminated. They scanned down the list of names and saw the line that said:

_"Group # 03: __Hiiragazawa_ _Eriol__ & __Daidouji_ _Tomoyo__  
Location: Midsection  
__Eriol_ _Hiiragazawa__: HP: 800 Points: 460  
__Tomoyo_ _Daidouji__: HP: 900 Points: 380"_

"Sugoi!" Yamazaki exclaimed, "They're doing really well!"

"Yeah, I know. And they're almost done too! After the Midsection of the trail, there's only the Final Section left and that's where the prize is!" Rika said, "It's so exciting!"

"There's Sakura's and Tsukishiro's info," Naoko said. They all looked at the screen.

_"Group # 04: __Kinomoto_ _Sakura__ & __Tsukishiro_ _Yukito__  
Location: Midsection  
__Sakura_ _Kinomoto__: HP: 1200 Points: 440  
__Yukito_ _Tsukishiro__: HP: 900 Points: 500"_

"They're doing well too." Chiharu commented.

"I bet Sakura's dying of happiness for being in there alone with Tsukishiro," Rika said smiling.

"But I thought we were supposed to be hooking up Sakura and Li," Yamazaki mused,

"Don't worry about that," Naoko said, "Eriol probably has one of his evil plans brewing in his mind..."

"Speaking of Li," Rika said, "Wait until you see his and Kinomoto's status."

As Chiharu and Yamazaki scanned the list and as found what they were looking for, their jaws dropped.

_"Group #07: __Li_ _Syaoran__ & __Kinomoto_ _Touya__  
Location: Final Section  
__Syaoran_ _Li__: HP: 1600 Points: 1038  
__Touya_ _Kinomoto__: HP: 1500 Points: 1050"_  
"Whoa! They're in the Final Section and they still have over 1000HP!" Yamazaki exclaimed.

Chiharu said, "They even have over _1000 Points_!"

Naoko smirked. "Looks like Li and Kinomoto are going head to head to try to exceed each other."

Rika smiled. "I just hope they don't hurt themselves in the process."

-

Eriol and Tomoyo walked slowly. More monsters were popping out now so they became more cautious. As they rounded a corner, the ground started to quake.

"Wh-What's happening?" Tomoyo said quietly, getting her laser gun set.

In front of them, one enormous monster made up of entirely of rock was seen. It gave one loud war cry and looked at Eriol and Tomoyo.

Eriol and Tomoyo looked at each other and nodded. In a flash, they both separated and began shooting the monster while they ran. But even after about five shots from each of them, the monster was still alive. Then unexpectedly, the monster whipped his large rock arms around and hit both of them. Instantly, they felt their vests vibrate and their visor screens started flashing red with the word CAUTION. Eriol's HP was down to 300 while Tomoyo's was down to 400. The attack had easily whipped away 500 HP from them both.

"Uh-oh..." Eriol said, cursing under his breath. "If this monster is this hard, imagine how hard the boss monster is!" He started shooting the monster while trying to avoid another hit. Tomoyo was doing the same.

"The boss monster takes away 800 HP each time it attacks...that's why barely anyone has beaten it yet," Tomoyo shouted back.

Eriol stopped shooting and stared at her with confusion. "Tomoyo, how do you know so much about this place?" he asked, "From the beginning, you've known almost every turn to go and how it was made and everything."

Tomoyo was silent as she continued to shoot the monster which looked like it wasn't even weakening. "Well..." But right then, the monster had prepared to whip his arms around again. "Watch out!" Tomoyo yelled.

Within a second, their visor screens stopping blinking as their HP went down to zero. Tomoyo took the heavy visor screen off her head.

"How in the world could you make Sakura go through all this fighting? It's so tiring!" she said as an attendant approached them.

"Stop changing the subject, Tomoyo. How do you know so much about this place?" Eriol asked again.

Tomoyo just smiled back. "You'll see when Sakura beats all the monsters and gets the prize!" she exclaimed.

Eriol stopped a moment and smirked remembering his plan. "You mean Sakura and _Syaoran_..."

-

Touya and Syaoran glared each other as they finished off another set of monsters. They were in front of a cave.

"Stop trying to outdo me, Li," Touya said, "It'll never work."

Syaoran just continued to glare at him. He even had to admit though; Kinomoto wasn't so bad when it came to this game. He was agile, really quick and had a very good aim.

Touya couldn't say anything bad about Li when it came to the game either. He also was really quick and avoided attacks easily. But one thing they both had was a desire to beat each other.

They stood so long just glaring ferociously at each other that it seemed that they would start shooting each other with the laser guns. Suddenly they heard a voice behind them. They turned and saw Sakura and Yukito coming towards them. Sakura was waving happily as she ran swiftly to them.

"Onii-chan! Li!"

Yukito jogged behind her trying to keep up with the energetic teen. But it was clear that he, too, was having a great time.

As they neared, Syaoran got a good look at Sakura's face. She was happy. No, she was happier than happy. She was happy times infinity. Just by the look on her face, it almost..._almost_...made him feel happy too...as if just by looking at her could scare away all the blues. He immediately felt the tingle shock through his body; that cheerful, joyful, jolly, merry tingle that he felt whenever she was happy. But he was surprised at one thing. He didn't find it as irritating as before he had come to Japan...

What his amber eyes didn't notice was Touya glancing down at Syaoran as Sakura and Yukito neared them. Touya narrowed his eyes. This was the second time that day where he felt that Li had feelings, even if they were teeny tiny feelings, for Sakura. He definitely didn't like this kid. He was arrogant, rude and certainly not gentleman like. But he stayed silent as Sakura and Yukito finally reached them.

Sakura panted awhile before talking. Whew...that was a long run. Almost as long as the run she had to take everyday to go to school. But at least she got to run along side with _Yu-ki-to!_

"Wow kaijuu," Touya said smirking, "I'm surprised that you're still alive at this point..."

Sakura frowned angrily and stomped on his foot...hard...

Syaoran was taken aback with the brother and sister connection. It was...weird seeing such playfulness and happiness between siblings. He had siblings too. He had four older sisters. They used to be so full of energy, bouncing up and down whenever they saw Syaoran's "kawaii" face, dressing the poor kid up in their clothes and teasing their little brother playfully, acting the way hyper, little children do. But after their father died...well everything changed. Their amber eyes became emptier, although definitely not emptier than Syaoran's gaze. Even though they still had their taste for "cuteness," they never jumped with glee whenever something of the sort passed their way anymore. They actually acted their own age. It was even worse that Syaoran had inherited the countenance of their father. Every time the four sisters looked at their distressed brother, they'd see an exact replica of their own father. However, Syaoran's thoughts broke apart as he noticed a pair of wondering, beautiful jade eyes were staring at him. She and her brother had stopped arguing a second ago when she had felt something. She had felt his yearning for his annoying yet loving sisters back they way they were. Syaoran quickly looked away from her curious eyes.

Yukito said smiling, "Well, Touya, Li, do you think we can join you?"

Touya nodded. "Sure."

"Wai!" Sakura shouted, "Now we can all fight together!"

"So have you run into any ghosts yet?" Touya asked.

Sakura surprisingly smiled. "Nope! That's why I was wondering why Tomoyo said that there were ghosts in here."

Touya and Yukito's eyes locked for a moment and they both smirked knowingly, but quickly hid it.

"Well, this is the last place..." Yukito said staring into the dark cave.

"If we're going to finish this and win, we have to do it now..." Touya said, "We only have 12 minutes left."

"Well, let's go in!" Sakura said feeling confident.

She and Syaoran entered first as Yukito and Touya followed them into the ominous, mysterious cave.

**TO BE CONTINUED **


	6. Technical Problems

**Tied By Fate  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer:** Do I own CCS? Nope...

* * *

**Chapter 6: **Technical Problems

Tomoyo's eyes brightened as she pointed to the statistics screen in the main hall. Her friends, who were currently waiting for the game the end, gasped as they saw that only two groups were left: **_Group #04: Kinomoto Sakura & Tsukishiro Yukito_** and **_Group #07: Li Syaoran & Touya_**.**_ Kinomoto_**

As Tomoyo immediately whipped out her camera to record Sakura's finalist stats on the screen, Rika's brown eyes widened. "They're almost done in there! They're both in the _Final Section_. They probably grouped their teams together."

"Yeah. But they'd better hurry up soon," Yamazaki said, "They only have 12 minutes left."

"I wonder if one of them will win!" Chiharu exclaimed.

"Better yet!" Naoko added, "I wonder what the last monster looks like!"

At this Tomoyo smiled and focused the camera on Naoko's face. "I can tell you one thing, Naoko. Sakura's going to be freaked out when she sees it!" Tomoyo giggled. "She's going to kill me..."

"You know what the final monster looks like!" Naoko said, amazed, "Tell me, tell me!"

Tomoyo just smiled and continued recording the screen one last time.

"You know, Tomoyo," Rika said curiously, "You know a lot about this place. How come?"

"Yeah," Eriol said with the same curiosity, "I'd like to know too."

As she put away her camera, she looked at her friends and smiled again. "I'll tell you when Sakura wins this game!"

"You never know," Yamazaki interrupted, "Maybe Li's group will win this. You've gotta admit, it's pretty impressive that both Li and Kinomoto have over 1000 Points."

As Yamazaki and Tomoyo debated over who would win, Eriol, although trying to keep his voice very subtle, was heard muttering.

"Did you say something Eriol?" Chiharu asked, turning to the boy with glasses.

Eriol smiled. "Oh it's nothing. I was just saying that maybe both Sakura _and_ Syaoran can win this."

"How? I thought only one group can win," Naoko inquired.

Tomoyo thought for a bit as Eriol didn't respond. "Well, technically, you're right. Only one group can win this game. But remember, they're allowed to group up...so if Yukito and Touya lose in there, Sakura and Li can group up. Is that what you mean, Eriol?" she asked the azure eyed boy.

Eriol smiled at Tomoyo. "Wow Tomoyo...right on target." He clapped his hands as she blushed.

"Hmm..." Chiharu mused, "That maybe true. But I think it's quite impossible for that to happen. After all, Kinomoto and Tsukishiro are quite good."

'Don't worry Chiharu, I'll make sure it'll happen," Eriol said. Then with a quick mysterious wink to Tomoyo who realized what he was doing, he excused himself.

With him gone, the three girls, Rika, Naoko, and Chiharu erupted on Tomoyo.

"Whoa Tomoyo!" Chiharu exclaimed, her eyes bright, "It's as if you two are meant for each other!"

"Yeah, she's right you know. You knew exactly what he was thinking even if he didn't tell you!" Rika said in great awe.

"You guys are the cutest couple!" Naoko exclaimed, "Both of you are so mysterious, nice, friendly, smart, clever-"

Tomoyo giggled and laughed. "You think so?"

"Yeah!" the three girls said in unison. All three's faces were bright with excitement.

"Well..." Tomoyo blushed, still red as a tomato but still as lady-like as possible, "He _is_ pretty cute, ne?"

The three girls squealed loudly, which caused Yamazaki to cover his ears and sweat drop when he saw that people around him were staring.

"I knew it, I knew it!" Naoko said excitedly, "Tomoyo likes Eriol!"

"Jeez, Naoko! Keep it down!" Tomoyo said still blushing. She looked around cautiously to see if Eriol was there. Seeing that he was gone, she sighed in relief.

"Why don't you tell him, Tomoyo?" Rika asked, "I think he feels the same towards you too."

"Well," she whispered, "I don't know..."

"Don't force her," Chiharu urged, "She'll never tell him if it's forced on her."

The girls continued to crowd around Tomoyo, allowing no oxygen for her to breathe. As they continued asking her both embarrassing and interesting questions, she just gave a small sigh and a blush. No wonder Sakura didn't like it when her friends asked about Yukito.

Yamazaki, the man of the group, rolled his eyes and sat back down on the waiting couch. "Girls..." he muttered staring at the big stat screen. He covered his ears again as another squeal erupted. "I hope Eriol comes back soon. Where'd he go anyway?"

-

"H-Hoee..." Sakura whispered as they walked through the final cave. It was dark and creepy and worst of all, it looked absolutely real! Stalagmites and stalactites were all around the area, almost leaving them no room to walk through. It was dark as night and sounds of water dripping slowly was heard echoing through the cave.

"Don't worry, Sakura," Yukito said with a smile as Sakura drew closer to him. "It's all fake."

"Pshh," Touya said evilly, "That's what they say isn't it?" he said with a smirk.

"Touya! Shut up!" Sakura yelled. Her yell echoed through the cave which quieted the three down.

But one tussled haired boy was quiet through the whole thing, observing the scenery with mild interest. The people who made this place _did_ do a good job on this. It even made him shiver a bit as they walked...a _bit_.

"Where's the monster? We don't have much time left," Syaoran questioned.

"It should appear soon. It's located at the end of this tunnel, where it expands into a big cave area." Yukito answered.

"Good, let's get this over with," Syaoran muttered, "This game is as boring as heck."

Sakura smiled. "Wow Li, you're really brave," she said admiringly.

Li shrugged, ignoring her smiling eyes. "Whatever..."

Suddenly a deep wail was heard, bouncing off the tunnel's walls.

Sakura shivered at the scary sound. Why'd this game have to be so scary! She frowned as she drew even closer to Yukito who smiled at her. She blushed. At least one good thing was benefiting from this place. And that was _Yu-ki-to-san_!

Feeling the bubbly feeling once again inside of him, Syaoran growled, greatly annoyed. He flashed a glare at Sakura who realized what had happened and smiled sheepishly, still blushing.

The playful mood between the two was broken with another louder wail and at this Sakura actually screamed, almost being as loud as the howls.

"Sakura, calm down, kaijuu!" Touya yelled.

She turned pale as they neared the entrance to the real cave. Yukito wasn't lying when he said it was big. It looked three times bigger than the IMAX Theater Sakura had gone to on her freshman fieldtrip. And even then, she hadn't seen anything as big and hollow as that. Her thoughts on the area were suddenly interrupted when she heard the amber eyed boy speak.

"Damn this place is huge..." he said, matching her thoughts. Then he pointed to something shiny all the way at the other end of the cave. It was the treasure chest, completely opened to expose glittering gold and jewels overfilling it. The chest stood on top of a small rock-like pedestal, indicating its importance. "Good," Syaoran grunted, walking a bit faster, "Let's get the treasure and get outta this place."

"Wait Li!" Sakura yelled as the boy grew farther away from him. She ran to him to catch up, leaving the college men behind. When she reached his side she still tried to keep up with his quick pace. "We still have to be careful," she said panting, "There's still a final monster remember?"

Syaoran didn't even look at her. "Oh, forget it and let's hurry up," he said.

-

A bright light was emerging from an empty hall. In this hall was an odd scene. Eriol stood in the center of the golden, glowing, circular symbol of Clow Reed. He carried a huge staff with a sun at the end with one hand as he closed his eyes, concentrating hard. The staff emitted red light as he was just about finished with his spell. Then, he opened his azure orbs and suddenly everything disappeared. The light, the staff and the magic circle were all gone. Eriol smirked as he pushed his slipping glasses up. He congratulated himself for his good work as he started walking away from the hall. Suddenly Tomoyo appeared in front of him, looking into his smiling eyes curiously and he stopped walking.

"Eriol?" she said quietly.

Eriol smiled in return. "Hello, Tomoyo," he said simply. Then he started walking again. She caught up quickly.

"Well? Did you do something?" Tomoyo whispered.

He was about to reply with something witty as always, but he stopped. His energy had just suddenly left his body and he began to stumble instead of walk. Everything became very blurry and he felt his eyes giving up on him, suddenly fatigued.

"Eriol? Are you okay?" Tomoyo asked as he stopped walking. Suddenly he started to fall forward and Tomoyo quickly but in surprise caught him. "Eriol!" she screamed, frightened by that weak smile he gave her. His breath grew quick and his eyes tired. His temperature had suddenly become really high as Tomoyo held him.

"I-I guess helping a friend can have its downsides...my magic has become weaker than I thought..." he whispered quietly.

-

As Sakura and Syaoran were walking side by side, they suddenly felt Eriol's aura, Clow Reed's aura, and abruptly stopped. At the same moment, they looked at each other, confirming what they felt. But as quickly as it had come, it vanished. Instead, the loud wailing was heard and Sakura suddenly jumped into his arms in fright. "H-Hooeeee!"

Syaoran was surprised at the sudden contact and for one second, a small blush was seen on his face. He felt her warmth pervading through him as he stood there stupidly and dumbfounded. He blushed a teeny bit more when the girl, her arms wrapped around his neck, gripped tighter to him. I mean, what teenage boy wouldn't want to be in his position right now? All alone –well kind of- in a dark scary cave where the girl jumps into your arms scared out of her wits and you're the only one to comfort her...a guy can get weird ideas in his mind...yes even Syaoran. He's still a guy isn't he? But he stubbornly waved the feelings and ideas away. "Argh!" he yelled, "Dammit, Kinomoto get off!"

Sakura pulled away suddenly, realizing whom she was hugging. She blushed sheepishly. Whoa...did she just _hug_ Li Syaoran? In all the time he had been in her life, she has never ever thought once about hugging the guy. He seemed to be one of those people who hated any kind of physical contact. Great...just great. Here she was trying to make friends but she had to jump into his arms even though she had a good idea he hated hugging people. Boy, was it hard to please this guy. "S-Sorry..." she said.

The wailing was heard again this time at a higher pitch and even louder. Sakura and Syaoran turned around, realizing that the sound was coming from behind them. They saw Touya and Yukito a far way back looking around in confusion, their laser guns ready in their hands. Suddenly the wailing was heard over and over again.

"What the fuck..." Touya said looking around cautiously, "Is it supposed to be doing that?"

"No," Yukito said, just as confused as his friend, "It sounds like it's out of control!"

Suddenly they saw the monster behind them growing closer and closer. The huge monster looked like a skeleton with no legs in a brown torn cloak, but the skeleton was transparent, indicating that it was a ghost. It had long clumps of hair still in its scalp and frightening, glowing red eyes. As its torn up cloak flew behind it as it floated in midair, it revealed rotting, nasty skin still sticking on some parts of it's bones. As it opened its bony jaw showing rotting yellow and orange teeth, it let out that same wail they had been hearing while flying at top speed towards Yukito and Touya. Of course out of instinct they ran.

"What the hell!" Touya screamed, "It isn't programmed to be chasing people around!"

Yukito yelled as they ran, "Maybe it's a malfunction?"

As the figures of Syaoran and Sakura came closer, the two adults saw their widened eyes. Touya, who momentarily forgot that this was only a game, yelled at Sakura. "Sakura! Get out of here!"

"Touya! Yukito!" Sakura yelled, seeing the ghost flying close behind them. "It's a gh-gh-gh-ghost!" But even as frightened as she was, she regained her courage and was about to run towards them when someone grabbed her arm.

"Oh no you don't," Syaoran said, "We gotta find somewhere to hide for now..." Then he ran to the side, momentarily forgetting the treasure chest, pulling the frightened girl behind him. Syaoran desperately looked around for anything they could hide behind as he ran. Then he spotted a perfect one; a huge rock that can hide both of them even if they stood up. "Something weird is going on here!" he said as they reached the rock. They panted for breath while hiding behind it.

Then Sakura's emerald eyes widened. "Touya! Yukito!" she said in fright, remembering her brother and his friend. She was yet again about to go and find them when Syaoran grabbed her arm.

"...Stay here," he growled, feeling her intense worry and terror filling him up inside. But as she tried to squirm out of his grip, he began to become irritated and grabbed her shoulders, pushing her against the rock. It was then when she stopped struggling, realizing that Li was furious. She looked at his mad amber eyes through his eye visor almost with the same terror that she felt when she had seen the monster. The feeling of intense anger from him filled her inside as she trembled.

Syaoran pinned her against the huge rock, losing his temper with her. What the fuck was she thinking? There was something definitely not right and she goes and tries to run to the monster? What if the monster could actually hurt you? What if it was actually _real_! She shouldn't go and just run into trouble like that! Syaoran's thoughts were frantic, but as he gripped onto her shoulders and saw her frightened eyes looking directly at his, he realized that now Kinomoto wasn't scared of what was going on with her brother and his friend anymore. She was scared of _him_. He felt it from her and knew it was true. Syaoran felt her shivering and he immediately let go of her. Why did he get so angry when she was about to get hurt out there? Why was he so...worried?

"S-Sorry," he said, avoiding eye contact with her. She nodded slowly now seeing how angry Li Syaoran can really get. It was frightening actually. She didn't want to see him like that again.

They heard the sound of laser guns shooting and remembered the two college men. A loud scream was heard and then the wailing. Then finally an eerie silence filled the cave. Sakura's eyes watered as she thought of her brother and his friend once again. Syaoran looked at her sadly. He had to admit. It was getting pretty freaky now.

-

As Yukito and Touya stopped running, their legs tired, the monster stopped before them almost as if it were watching them carefully. They however weren't as relaxed as the monster. They held out their guns before them, shooting it as much as they could. But then, even after about ten shots from both of them, it was still alive and it wasn't even retaliating, nor moving at all. But suddenly, the monster multiplied itself and surrounded the two.

"-the hell!" Touya yelled, his gun trembling in his hands. He didn't know where to shoot now. At least about five of the same monster circled them.

"That thing wasn't programmed to do that either!" Yukito yelled shooting blindly at all the monsters.

Suddenly the monsters, still unfazed by the laser guns, floated closer to them. Yukito and Touya's eyes widened in dread, seeing the monsters draw near. They stood back to back, scared out of their wits. Touya screamed as he shot at the monsters blindly before all the monsters lifted up their bony, sharp claws. "DAMMIT!"

Then the monsters brought down their arms and wailed loudly. Silence then followed.

-

"Eriol are you all right?" Chiharu asked the worn out teen. He was leaning against the couch, panting tiredly. A few beads of sweat ran down the sides of his head.

His friends were crowded around him worriedly. As soon as he had gotten back, he suddenly became so tired.

"I'm fine..." he said panting. "Must've been all that excitement from inside the game."

As his friends continued fussing over him, Tomoyo stood a foot away from the crowd, knowing that Eriol was lying. She stared at him sadly as he sat on the couch almost unable to move. Tomoyo sighed. It was obvious that what Eriol was feeling was side affects from using a large amount of magic. She had thought that when he had given half of his magic to Sakura's father, that he wouldn't be able to use great amounts of magic anymore. But it seemed that she was wrong. He probably could still use a lot of magic if he really concentrated and even gave up some of his energy for the spell. But she wondered. Was proving his theory about Sakura and Li-kun being destined to be together worth Eriol becoming weak? She knew that he would be better in a few minutes when the spell was complete but still...was it worth it? Eriol really wanted to help Li. He wanted him to laugh and smile and do everything any other teen would do. And both Tomoyo and Eriol knew that the only person they knew who would be able to do that was Sakura. Tomoyo almost grew angry at Li. Did he know how much Eriol was undergoing for him? And yet he treated Eriol with no respect! She hoped that Li will change quickly...that way, Eriol wouldn't have to waste his magic on him.

-

The silence unnerved the two as they stood quietly. Even though Sakura knew that Li didn't like to be too near to people, she stayed close to his side, their bodies almost touching. She was scared out of her wits and right now she didn't really care if Li would push her away or not. Actually, she didn't really notice. She was too scared for Yukito and Touya. What if the monster was real? What if they were out there right now breathless and lifeless? She shut her eyes tightly, feeling fear sink in. She didn't know whom the fear belonged to; Li or her. But it was probably both of theirs.

Syaoran looked at the girl with concern. She had her eyes shut tight in terror and she was trembling violently. Two people who were very dear to her might have been hurt out there...no wonder she was so frightened. Before he knew what he was doing, he had grabbed her shoulders but gently.

Sakura felt hands on her shoulders and abruptly looked up at Li. But not like before when she had irritated him. His grip was loose and gentle, almost comforting. She smiled a bit. Li Syaoran was trying to make her feel better.

"Kinomoto," he whispered in her ear, "I just realized...didn't you bring your doll with you?"

Sakura's eyes widened in realization. Of course! She had brought Kero with her! She reached into her pocket where he was hidden and brought him out. But she gasped.

"K-Kero?" she asked the motionless thing in her hands. It had its eyes closed and was breathing slightly.

Syaoran sweat dropped. "It's..._asleep_!"

Skaura looked up at him with worried eyes. "No! He's not! He would have never fallen asleep...especially since he knew this was a game. He had been talking about coming here all week! No way would he fall asleep!" she said.

"Give him here."

Sakura handed her guardian to him, wondering what had happened and also a little frightened. Syaoran held the small thing in his hands as he eyed it closely. It was then that he felt an aura from the stuffed doll sinking into his fingers.

"He's been forced to sleep," Syaoran stated, "It's a spell, he won't wake until the caster wants it to."

Sakura gasped. "What!" She grabbed Kero from his hands and shook the poor thing. "KERO! OY! KERO! Wake up!" she cried desperately, "I have pudding for you! Oh c'mon wake up! I thought I was the only one who could control you!"

"That's true," Syaoran said thoughtfully, "But it seems the caster has strong magic too..."

"Can you tell who the caster is? Who cast this spell on him?" she pleaded with her watery emerald orbs.

Syaoran looked at the doll carefully, narrowing his eyes. He had known Hiiragazawa was up to something. He just doesn't know what it is. Why would Hiiragazawa put a spell on his former guardian who now aids Kinomoto? Weren't they...best friends or something?

"I-I don't know," he lied. He didn't want to inform her that her good friend Hiiragazawa Eriol was the one responsible. He wanted to find out what the guy was up to first.

"So that's why Yue didn't come out when Yukito was in trouble either..." Sakura said sadly.

"Speaking of them," Syaoran said letting go of her shoulders, "Let's go look for your brother and his friend..."

"Hai..."

They walked out behind the safety of the rock, Sakura trailing close behind Syaoran. As they walked slowly, they cautiously looked around for anything unusual, but nothing seemed odd at all; no monster, no wailing. When they reached the spot where they had first left the two college men, they were gone. Nothing was there except the bleakness of the cave.

"Where are they?" Sakura whispered, tears starting to well up in her eyes.

Syaoran was about to try to comfort her when the wailing abruptly started again. Their eyes alertly scanned the cave, but still nothing. The wailing was heard again, even louder this time and that's when Sakura grabbed onto Syaoran's arm in fright.

"It's okay Kinomoto..." he said, his voice low. Then, irritated by the constant wailing, he grabbed his pendant necklace which was hidden under his shirt and dropped his useless laser gun to the floor. Using his other hand which Sakura wasn't clinging on to, he held the red pendant out in front of him. Then Sakura watched in wonder as he mumbled some words under his breath and the pendant started glowing. Suddenly instead of a pendant in his hand, there was a sword. It was a beautiful sword; long, glistening, with a golden hilt in the shape of a wolf, a red piece of short red rope hanging from the hilt with the pendant at the other end, and most importantly, it was sharp...really sharp.

"Would you stop with the wailing!" Syaoran shouted in aggravation, "Just come out and get me, dammit!"

Then as if it had heard his call, the monster appeared floating in front of the two teens. Sakura gripped on to her companion's arm tight as he tried to console her without uncovering his soft side. "Kinomoto! Blood's not flowing through my arm with all your gripping!" he scowled.

"S-Sorry..." she said but she simply did not stop her shaking nor loosen her grasp on him.

The ghost's bony jaw opened as it roared another battle wail. Then, it swooped down at them, its long bony fingers ready to grasp their flesh.

But as if he had sensed the ghost's movements, Syaoran evaded its attack as he jumped out of the way pulling Sakura close behind him. Then the ghost swooped down again and again, but just the same, Syaoran and Sakura dodged it. Suddenly, as if it were aggravated, the ghost stopped attacking for a moment and moaned loudly in anger. Then its image flickered for a moment and then it multiplied into two.

"Fuck..." Syaoran mumbled under his breath. The situation was not helping, especially with Kinomoto hanging on to him like that. Sweat drops appeared on the side of his head as he wondered what to do while the monsters were wailing. They couldn't run now...they couldn't turn their backs to those creeps. What to do...what to do...

Sakura glanced at Li as the feeling of worry and anxiousness filled her. It was his worry and anxiety she was feeling no doubt, the_ 'bond'_ was letting her feel his feelings again. But it was also mixed with her own fear and concern. Then she realized that she was slowing Li down. She was sure that he would be able to maneuver easier without her on his arm so she quickly parted with him although she was still very scared.

Li raised an eyebrow at her. "You okay now?" he said while still keeping an eye at the monsters that were wailing and wailing without stop.

Sakura took a deep breath and nodded. She had to be brave. She couldn't cower in front of this guy and show him that she couldn't handle these things by herself. "Yeah..." she said. Then with a smile she added, "I am the Card Mistress you know."

Syaoran rolled his eyes. "Whatever." Card Mistress or no Card Mistress she was still afraid of ghosts. But of course, he hadn't said that out loud.

He watched her as she quickly took out her key from around and neck and transformed it with a couple of words. With a bright white light, it turned into a pink wand with a star at the end.

Then with almost no time in between, she had taken out a pink card with an odd looking creature on it. "Fiery!"

As she touched the Card which she had thrown into the air with her wand, Syaoran watched as Fiery seeped out of its Card form and into its original form. It looked like a boy with hot, fiery eyes of arrogance and flames covering his whole body. With one of its smile to its master, it swooped down into the ghosts at top speed with a confident face.

"That's one of the four Element Cards, Fiery. It's said to be the strongest out of the Elements and the most confident. Nice choice, Card Mistress..." Syaoran said with a hand to his chin.

Sakura smiled in triumph. He actually complimented her? But it was impressive how he knew so much about the Card. She watched with pride as Fiery swooped through the ghosts, enclosing the two in its embers.

Syaoran frowned. "But..."

At this the ghosts flew through the angry flames and jumped at the surprised Fiery.

Sakura gasped. "What the-"

"Kinomoto, think carefully. Even though Fiery is a powerful attack Card, the ghosts are _ghosts_. They cannot feel attacks of any sort...plus, there are two of them which will beat Fiery once they have a chance to jump out of his flames," Syaoran said.

"Hoeee..." Sakura said sadly. How embarrassing. He really knew what he was talking about and here she was the Card Mistress. Maybe he should be the owner of the Cards instead...

Syaoran glared at her, feeling what she was thinking. "Kinomoto, it's not wise to think such thoughts especially when they're about to attack any minute now..."

Then as if on cue, the two monsters lunged at them while they dodged with ease. But while they dodged all the attacks, Sakura was still thinking about what to do.

Oh, think Sakura, she told herself. There must be someway to defeat these monsters. But what could defeat _ghosts_? Every Card she had wouldn't help with defeating ghosts. Darn those evil, scary ghosts. What on earth could defeat something as evil as them? Wait a minute...evil...how do you defeat evil?

Sakura's eyes widened in realization as she thought up a solution. "That's it! _Light_ defeats evil!" she shouted with glee.

Since she was distracted on her thoughts, she practically jumped when she heard Li's growled orders. "Kinomoto! Pay attention!"

Right then, the two ghosts suddenly swooped down at Sakura and Syaoran, each taking one person. They were thrown far back as a result of the impact. Both of them were surprised as they fell on the ground. This was definitely not a normal virtual monster. You wouldn't have felt the pain from the attack if it was.

As they were on the ground in pain, a couple of feet away from each other, both their HP lowered. Syaoran's to 800 and Sakura's to 300. It had taken 800 HP off. One more hit and they would be dead...maybe even literally.

Syaoran slowly got up from the ground, using his sword for support. The ghosts were merged back into one now and was heading towards Sakura's body which was still on the floor, trying desperately to get up again.

As she tried to get up, she felt a sudden burst of pain from her right foot. She groaned. What a perfect time to get a sprained ankle. She felt pain run up her leg every time she moved her ankle. But since she was so determined in trying to sit up, she didn't see the ghost coming her way.

The ghost drew closer and closer ready to pounce on her. Syaoran's amber eyes widened as his heart started beating faster. Everything went blank...his pain suddenly didn't hurt...everything didn't seem to matter...except her. Without thinking he shouted her name. "SAKURA!"

Her eyes immediately looked up at the voice of her name...her first name. But she couldn't be bewildered by the sound of her name coming from his lips right then. She saw a ghost coming slowly towards her, ready to finish her off. She tried to get up but her foot was still in deep pain. Helplessly and vulnerable, she lay there on her back, watching the ghost with fear. She trembled as she saw the ghost right above her, its arms ready to pierce her flesh. Her eyes shut quickly as she screamed a high pitch scream in terror and waited for even more pain to fill.

Suddenly, she heard an angry scream. "FUCK OFF!"

Opening her eyes slowly, she saw a figure in front of her. As her eyesight focused, she saw Li's back fighting off the ghost furiously. He took out a piece of yellow paper with Chinese writing on it. "God of Wind! Descend!"

A sudden, roaring gush of air swept through the ghost, blowing it a few yards away.

Sakura watched as Li glared one last time at the ghost and quickly turned and crouch down beside her. "You okay?"

Sakura, still shocked by the near death situation, nodded slowly. At her reply, she saw Li reach down for her. He grabbed her arms with his own strong ones and pulled her to stand.

She let out a sudden yelp as she put weight on her right foot. "Ouch..." She grabbed onto Li's arms for support.

Syaoran looked at her carefully, his arms still helping her stand. "Looks like you got a sprained ankle," he said, stating the obvious. "Here, you can lean on me," Syaoran said without thinking. As soon as he said it, Sakura looked at him with wide eyes. The feelings of caring and concern filled her up...feelings she never would have thought he had.

Syaoran immediately scowled realizing what she was thinking and tried to cover up his concern. "Oh c'mon, Kinomoto!"

She nodded once again as she continued to lean on him.

Suddenly the irritating wailing was heard once more. The ghost appeared in front of them looking particularly angry.

"Kinomoto, now!" Li yelled still holding on to her.

Without wasting time she took out another pink Card and touched it with the tip of her wand. "LIGHT!"

A bright light appeared from the Card as Light's form took shape. She was a pretty woman, with her figure completely draped with the color white except for the outlines of her body and clothes. She was glowing in a bright light and as she opened her empty white eyes, she glowed even brighter. The light was so strong and Sakura and Syaoran had to shield their eyes from it. However, the ghost was fortunately unlucky. The light pervaded through it as it wailed his wail one final time. It cringed in the bright light until it slowly dissipated into nothingness.

As the light disappeared and return to its Card, Sakura's wand disappeared the same time Syaoran's sword turned back into a pendant.

Sakura smiled brightly at Syaoran. "It's gone!"

He nodded. "Good."

But Sakura's smile started to fade. "B-But...Touya and Yukito-san..." Her grip on Syaoran tightened as she trembled.

Syaoran was silent as her eyes started to fill with water. What could he do? What was he supposed to do? He usually didn't like it when girls, whether family or not, cried in front of him. He felt her sadness flowing through her and he frowned.

Suddenly Sakura felt something move in her pocket. "Hoee?"

Li blinked at her. "Huh?"

Sakura's pocket wriggled more and out came the yellow furball; our lovable, talkable Kero.

He rubbed his tired eyes as he yawned and floated in midair.

"Whoa...I don't know how but I just fell asleep. So anyway Sakura! Did you win, eh, eh?"

When his blurry vision cleared, his small eyes widened and his face angered at the sight of Sakura holding on to Li Syaoran tightly. "HEY! GAKI! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?"

-

Eriol's eyes fluttered completely open when he felt his energy returning. The spell was done. He sat up on the couch and found Tomoyo looking at him with a relieved smile on her lips. His eyesight blurry, his hand went up to his face and found that his glasses were no longer there. Suddenly Tomoyo held something out to him; his glasses. He took with gratefully and placed it on. His vision cleared.

Tomoyo smiled. "When your energy started leaving you, you collapsed on the couch a few minutes ago. Chiharu and the rest went to get some water and a cloth for your head. Seems like you won't need it now though."

Eriol nodded, returning her smile. Then with a final look around to see that no one was too close to hear their conversation, he turned to her. "It's done."

Tomoyo's eyes widened with delight.

-

Syaoran and Sakura, Sakura still leaning on him, neared the treasure chest...their goal for winning. Kero flew close to them, watching the Gaki out of the corner of his eyes for any sudden, unapproved movements. Sakura had finally broken up their fight with an urging that they were running out of time. But it was true. Only half a minute remained.

"Well here it is..." Kero said looking over the chest overfilling with glittering gold and jewels.

Syaoran and Sakura nodded, both exhausted from the day's events. "Let's get this over with..." Syaoran said.

He and Sakura leaned over the treasure and reached out for it the same time. The second they touched the chest's hard wood covering, an alarm bell sounded. Lights flashed in different colors and Syaoran and Sakura looked around in confusion as Kero quickly flew into Sakura's pocket in a flash. Confetti started to fall from the ceiling as Sakura looked at Syaoran and smiled.

"Looks like we won."

He nodded.

"You know Li, you're not that bad...you're decent even when you want to be," Sakura said happily.

"Whatever," he replied barely looking at her. But of course, he could feel her happiness through that stupid **'**_bond_'. But there was confusion mixed in with that happiness. And he was confused himself. It wasn't everyday he saved a girl without thinking and then let her hold on to him for support for her sprained ankle. And it wasn't everyday that he called a non-relative girl by her first name...he just hoped that she didn't notice...oh how he hoped...

Just then swarms of employees entered the cave screaming and cheering. They headed towards the two teens. Two particular employees caught Sakura and Syaoran's eyes. A tall, dark hair one with a stern look on his face and a shorter silver haired on with glasses and a calm, cheerful expression on. The swarm of people crowded around the two.

"Yukito! Touya! You're all right!" Sakura said happily with relief. "I-I thought you-"

Yukito blinked. "What's wrong Sakura? It was a _virtual _monster after all."

Sakura smiled. "Y-Yeah. Right. I was just worried..."

Just then Touya stepped in. "Oy! Sakura, what are you doing holding the Gaki like that!"

-

While Tomoyo, Eriol and the others waited patiently on the couch after Eriol had fully recovered from his sudden tiredness a few minutes before, the large screen which told the players' stats suddenly went blank.

"What happened?" Naoko asked, worry etched in her eyes.

A wave of whispers filled the waiting area filled with other eliminated players and their friends. But only one person smiled, fully aware of what was happening. Tomoyo, with a grin on her lips, grabbed her camera and pressed the power button on. Then she pointed it towards the huge double doors which led to the paths for the game.

Music started playing; loud, cheerful music. Then confetti and balloons streamed down from the ceiling. People turned as the double doors opened with a bang and emerged all the employees streamed out. Finally, two people draped with pieces of confetti in their hair appeared last; Syaoran with his usually emotionless face and amber eyes and Sakura with her eyes glittering with excitement. She was still holding on to him tightly, letting him be her support for her sprained ankle.

Everyone burst into applause. Someone had done it. The first people to finish the game were them.

-

They were outside now, Syaoran and Sakura in front of the entrance and the crowds of people watching, including the people from the still long waiting line.

Someone was talking, congratulating the two teens, one of the head employees. "–and we all congratulate you, Li Syaoran and Kinomoto Sakura for being the first ever to complete this game."

Everyone started cheering and clapping although their own dreams of being the first to finish the game were extinguished. But after all, there was always second place.

Tomoyo and the others were applauding the loudest and of course Tomoyo had her trusty camera situated in front of her, recording the lovely scene of Sakura winning.

"And now, the owner and maker of this attraction will now present you with your prize!" the announcer said.

From the huge double doors, a woman with short brown hair, a blue business suit, and amethyst eyes walked out towards Sakura and Syaoran. Sakura gasped as she realized she knew who it was. "S-Sonomi-san!" she exclaimed in surprise. Syaoran just looked at the woman in confusion.

Everyone looked at Tomoyo who was still busily recording the happy scene.

"Tomoyo, you didn't tell us your mother was the one who made this!" Chiharu exclaimed.

"Well, you didn't really ask," Tomoyo replied smiling. Her friends sweat dropped.

"But now it all makes sense..." Eriol said thoughtfully. "Tomoyo really knew a lot about this new game, didn't she?"

The others nodded.

"Well of course she would because he mother was the owner and maker of it. After all, Tomoyo's mother is the head of Daidouji Corporation, a wealthy and well known business. Wasn't Tomoyo the one who suggested this place in the first place?"

The others all understood now and looked at Tomoyo with smiles on their faces. She sheepishly smiled. "Looks like I'm found out."

Suddenly after all the cheers and woops, Sonomi started talking into the microphone and the group of friends quieted to hear Tomoyo's mother speak.

"I really hope all of you have enjoyed this new public attraction, '_The Trail's Trials_.'" Another wave of cheers. "But I am proud to announce the names of the first people to finish this game ever... Kinomoto Sakura and Li Syaoran!" Sonomi stopped a minute to give Sakura one of her loving smiles. "And of course, you have a prize! Aside from having your names engraved on the plaque which shows people who have completed this game, you'll have a three day cruise in Daidouji Corporation's cruiser with five people of your choice! Congratulations from the entire Daidouji Corporation, including myself!" Blasts of cheering erupted and Sonomi took a bow. She walked over to Sakura and gave her a big hug.

"Congratulations Sakura-chan! It's definitely no surprise that you're the one to win this! You and your boyfriend that is. He's rather quite a catch he is! Keep him, Sakura-chan, he's definitely a keeper." Sonomi winked.

Sakura blushed bright red as Syaoran made a disgusted face. "B-But Sonomi-san, we're not-"

"Well I've gotta run!" Sononmi said smiling. "I'm a really busy woman. I ran out of a meeting just for this. Ja ne, Sakura-chan!" Then giving her one last quick hug, Sonomi rushed as fast as she could in her high heels towards a waiting limousine.

Sakura looked at Syaoran with a smile. "Wow. This is really exciting seeing all these people cheering..."

Syaoran shrugged. "I guess."

"You know, I really had fun even though I was deathly scared...thanks for teaming up with me," Sakura said.

"Sure..." Syaoran said simply, his face straight.

With an even happier smile she leaned towards his ear and whispered something inaudible to other ears besides his. "By the way...I'm really happy..."

Taken aback with surprise at her sudden whisper, he asked. "Why?"

Sakura with those delightful emerald eyes of hers replied back, "Because you called me Sakura."

Syaoran bit his bottom lip in worry. Shit...she did noticed after all...

**TO BE CONTINUED **


	7. Going Back

**Tied by Fate  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer:** Don't own...don't sue

* * *

**Chapter 7**: Going Back

Sakura awoke to the sound of chirping birds outside...and also from Kero's snoring. She sat up in her bed and yawned as she covered her emerald eyes from the brightness emerging from the window. It was Sunday, her last glorious day of freedom before returning to the gloominess of school again tomorrow. She had a real good sleep last night although her ankle was mildly sprained. It wasn't a problem though since she could still walk a bit if she limped. Oh well, she wasn't really planning on doing anything that strenuous today anyway. Today she was just going to relax and finish her homework after that excitement from the day before. Sakura smiled happily to herself. Yesterday she had spent a lot of time with Yukito! But was even more surprising was that she had felt Syaoran's worry and concern for her while fighting that malfunctioning final boss monster in the _Trail's Trials_. He had even said her _first name_! Sakura grinned to herself as she lay back down on her bed. Maybe she was about to make a new friend after all!

-

Irritated by the light streaming in, an amber eyed boy turned over to lie on his stomach, trying not to wake up. Oh how he didn't want to wake up and face another day here in Japan. He lay there unmoving, covering his head with his arms. He growled in frustration as the light still seemed to penetrate through his arms and even through his closed eyelids. Then he grabbed the covers and threw it about him, trying desperately to go back to sleep. It had been a tiring day yesterday, with all that waiting in the hot sun, competing with Kinomoto-kun, and saving that Kinomoto girl. Ugh...he didn't want to get up. He _definitely_ didn't want to get up from the warm, cozy bed. Suddenly he felt a tingling warmness filled his sleepy figure and he growled even louder. She was happy...of course. "Damn you Kinomoto! Early in the morning and you're already _happy_!" he muttered. He tried to ignore the pesky feeling but it was still there. He frowned deeply. "All right! All right! I'm up dammit!" he shouted throwing the pillow over his face.

This early in the morning and that darn Kinomoto was already bugging him.

-

"Ohayo..." the amber eyed boy said as he entered the kitchen groggily. Nakuru was already up and at 'em, cooking up breakfast.

Nakuru turned to him with a happy grin while flipping some pancakes with a spatula. "You up Li-kun? I made you breakfast! Well, we already had ours but Eriol told me to make one for you anyway."

Syaoran nodded as he plopped down on a chair at the breakfast table. He yawned and noticed that something was watching him. It was Suppi, lounging on top of the breakfast table reading a book. But his huge eyes were away from his book for a second and were looking at Syaoran curiously. "Actually Li-san, you woke up pretty late today. Usually you're an early riser," Suppi said.

Syaoran raised an eyebrow and grunted and watched as Nakuru placed a glass of orange juice in front of him. He picked up the glass and drank, feeling the cold liquid running through his throat. "Analyzing people again, Spinel?" Syaoran asked.

Suppi stayed silent at his comment. But it was rather odd for Syaoran to wake up at such an hour. It was already ten o'clock in the morning. Li-san usually woke up around five. Was something on his mind?

Syaoran started glaring at Suppi as he continued to stare at him. "What do you want, Spinel Sun?" he asked with an aggravated tone. He saw a plate of two full pancakes placed in front of him along with utensils.

"I'm just wondering...was something on your mind, Li-san?" Suppi asked.

Nakuru frowned as she sat down on a chair opposite of Syaoran. "Suppi, that's so rude..."

Syaoran grunted. "There _was_ something on my mind though."

"May I ask what?"

"Suppi! Stop being nosy!"

The amber eyed boy placed some of the pancake on his mouth. "Hmph...It doesn't matter. I had yesterday on my mind."

"What particular part?" Suppi asked, unrelenting with his questions.

Syaoran froze for a second at his question as he thought. He hadn't slept well last night. He had been thinking about why he had gotten all protective of that stupid Card Mistress all of a sudden. All he remembered was seeing the monster close in on her and then a fuse broke inside him. He had suddenly gotten so angry. Then he had rushed between them, despite his bruises. What was worse was that he had helped her up and actually let her lean on him. Syaoran scowled.

Nakuru blinked at his reaction. Li-kun had just suddenly been so grossly involved in his thoughts that he was scowling in the outside. It was a pretty weird sight. She waved her hand in front of him. "L-Li-kun?"

Suppi was watching his actions too. Something was extremely odd here. Was he missing something? Had something happened that he didn't know of?

Syaoran didn't even notice Spinel Sun and Nakuru anymore. "That damn Card Mistress..." he muttered. Then he grabbed one whole pancake and gulped it down in one bite.

Suppi and Nakuru looked at each other in confusion. He was thinking about Sakura-chan?

Suddenly someone entered the room. Eriol looked at the three sitting at the breakfast table and smiled as usual. "Ah...Syaoran, you up?" he asked

Syaoran merely grunted, eating the last piece of his pancake.

"Oh, before I forget. This is for you," Eriol said reaching in his pocket. He took out a small white sealed envelope and handed it to him. "It's from your mother."

Syaoran took it and stared at the thing. It was pretty bulky inside. "Hey, where is she anyway?"

Eriol smiled as he took Syaoran's empty plate to the sink. "She's in Hong Kong."

Syaoran stood up quickly causing his chair to make a shrill high pitched noise as it scraped the kitchen floor. "NANI!"

Eriol calmly sat down in another chair while Nakuru and Suppi looked on with interest. "She's in Hong Kong," he repeated.

Syaoran instantly exploded. "SHE LEFT ME HERE?"

Eriol nodded. "Apparently so."

"WHY DID SHE LEAVE SO SUDDENLY?"

"She told me that the Elders were calling to her, asking her to come back," Eriol said, watching his friend carefully.

"I want to go home too! DAMMIT!" Syaoran yelled punching the table. It suddenly broke at the impact as Nakuru and Suppi jumped in surprise. "Why didn't she tell me?"

"Yelan-san said that she had to leave in a hurry," Nakuru said.

"She _did_ leave you some money, Syaoran," Eriol said. "It's in that envelope."

Syaoran ripped open the envelope with ease and took out paper currency..._a lot of it_...

Nakuru's eyes were wide open. "WOW! What are you gonna do with all that money, Li-kun?"

"He may do whatever he pleases with it. And also Syaoran, your mother told me that she'll keep on paying for your school tuition as long as you're in Tomoeda," Eriol said.

Syaoran stared at the load of money in his hands as his mind raced with anger. Was this all his mother thought about him? She just leaves him here with a pile of cash and goes back home without him! Syaoran gripped onto the money as his jaw tightened. What kind of mother would leave her son in another country with people they barely knew! Syaoran's amber eyes narrowed and turned a shade darker. So he didn't mean anything to his own mother, huh? Just because he looked exactly like his dead father! What kind of lame excuse was that! Syaoran's eyes closed as he tried with all his might to contain his anger. But he wanted to get out of here. He wanted to get away from Japan. Maybe with this money he could get a ticket for-

"No," Eriol said suddenly, "Your mother asked me to retain you from returning to Hong Kong. She said you needed some relaxation from all the Li leader responsibilities. Syaoran, she said you needed to be a normal teenager. She didn't leave you here because she hates you. She wants you to be happy, to be a normal person for at least a little while."

Syaoran's eyes twitched. "Shut up Hiiragazawa! You couldn't possibly know what I'm feeling! It's too late, don't you see? It's too late to become a normal person!" Syaoran yelled, his face reddening from anger. He gripped onto the money harder as his body began trembling. "I'm getting out of this place! And if I can't use the money to go back to Hong Kong, then I'll go get an apartment!" he declared.

However despite his raised voice and short temper, Eriol, Nakuru, and Suppi were all used to Syaoran's antics. But still, Eriol sighed – whether it be from relief or frustration, one couldn't tell. "All right, Syaoran. If you're really sure about it..."

Syaoran nodded determinedly and without another word he stomped off up the stairs towards his temporary bedroom and gathered his belongings. He was still seething with anger. After all, wouldn't you be if your mother left you in a country with people you absolutely hate?

As he slammed the door he felt Kinomoto's "floaty" moods and immediately scowled. "Good thing I won't be seeing her today..." he mumbled as he began sorting out his few clothes he had brought.

-

Sakura smiled contentedly and sat up on her bed, looking over the things in her new pink monster wallet that Touya had given her for her birthday. She had almost forgotten that it had been her birthday about a week ago! She had also forgotten the amusement park tickets from Chiharu and the free dinner for two at a restaurant from Yukito. At the thought of him, her eyes became starry and she blushed. "Yu – ki – to – san!"  
But her mind was wandering again. She had to figure out who to invite for the park tickets and the dinner. Hmm...well the amusement park was easy enough. She would bring Tomoyo, and Eriol of course herself and that amounted to three people so far. But who should the forth ticket be to? Sakura mused aloud to Kero who was playing a video game nearby.

"Ne, Kero. I have an extra ticket to the amusement park. Who should I invite?" she asked, still thinking.

"Why not Yukito since you like him so much?" Kero replied, his eyes still glued to the TV screen.

Sakura blushed at the mere mention of his name as she thought about it. Was it a good idea to bring Yukito? Sakura came to a solution and shook her head sadly. "Even though I want him there, wouldn't it be odd for him to come with a bunch of high schoolers? And besides, he and Touya might be working."

"How about the weird story telling dude, his girlfriend, that strange ghost obsessed girl, or that really sweet girl?" Kero asked.

Sakura shook her head. "I can't invite Yamazaki without Chiharu and I can't invite Chiharu without him. They're a deal package, they're always together. Same goes with Naoko and Rika...hmm...whom should I invite!" she asked herself as she pulled at her hair.

Kero turned to her with a grin. "If worse comes to worse, you'll just have to invite the gaki." He made a disgusted face.

Sakura's eyes widened and her lips curved into a smile. "Oh yeah! Li-kun! I'll invite him!"

Then with that set of tickets resolved, she moved on with the next – the dinner tickets. She blushed at the first thought of Yukito coming with her. I-I-I-It was like a _date_! She could imagine it now. Yukito would be sitting right across from her with his usual grin on his face, the dinner would be by candlelight, there would be soft, graceful music playing, the food would be delicious, and the service would turn out great! And then...if she gained up her courage she would tell him that she liked him! Sakura turned even redder as she buried her head in the pillow. If only she had the nerve!

Suddenly a pang to her heart left her confused as she lifted her head off the pillow. It was a weird feeling and it almost felt as if it made her angry for no reason...really angry. It first began in her chest and then suddenly, just as blood flows through your body, the feeling began flowing through hers. As she felt it completely spread throughout her, she suddenly was trembling and her eyes were narrowed. She couldn't stop it from happening. She was just so...angry.

Kero's jaw dropped as he lost the video game and he flew towards the PS2 to turn it off. Then looking depressed, he floated towards Sakura and sat on her shoulder. Sniffing a bit, he asked, " Ne Sakura. C-Can you get me some pudding?" That was his routine whenever he loses in a game. He always got pudding and it always cheered him up.

Suddenly instead of nodding sweetly and going downstairs, she swatted him away with her hand and turned to him with narrowed eyes. "Go away. Go get your own pudding..."

Kero, flying in midair, had his jaw wide open. _Sakura_ acting _mean_! It just wasn't possible.

Sakura quickly realized what she had done and turned to him. "Oh gosh! Gomen Kero! I don't know what came over me. I just suddenly got...angry."

Kero placed a paw to his chin in thought. Sakura was _never_ angry unless something really ticked her off that badly. "That means only one thing then..."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Li?"

Kero grunted. "Yeah. That little-"

As Kero rambled on, Sakura put her head in her hands. She couldn't stop the feeling. She couldn't stop the unnecessary anger. It was too intense, too severe to her head. It...started hurting. But she wondered why she would be feeling hurt if he's angry. Usually she just felt pain whenever he thought about anything that was painful. Could it be that...he was sad? What had happened?

Suddenly she got up, testing her sprained ankle. It was sore and hurt pretty badly when she walked. But she had to find him. She had to finally stop his sorrow. Besides, she was worried about him. For something to get him _this_ angry and _this_ sad was probably something really big.

Kero looked up at her. "Where ya going?"

Sakura barely looked at him as she picked out some clothes to wear. "Out...sorry Kero."

And with a statement as simple as that she set out, following Syaoran's distinct green aura.

-

Syaoran, carrying two boxes in hand walked briskly down the street. He had heard from Nakuru that there was one apartment nearby that seemed to have an open room and without waiting he had burst out of the Hiiragazawa household. So here he was, barely knowing where he was going with two boxes full of his stuff. But he didn't care. He didn't care about anything anymore. If his own mother deserted him then he certainly won't do good to anyone else. Who in the world would want him to stay anyway? He was sure that Spinel and Nakuru were probably tired of his rude, annoying ways and Hiirgazawa was probably getting tired of him too even though he had tried so hard to help him. Syaoran stopped walking in the middle of the almost empty sidewalk as cars zoomed past him. He stood there quietly as he closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. But it didn't work. It never worked. All he ever saw when he did that was that scene again; the day that his loving father died in front of him. Syaoran had felt so weak and helpless back then and the feeling has never changed. If he had been somehow stronger, somehow wiser he would've saved him. Heck, he would've jumped out in front of him if he could redo that again! He was sure that everyone would've been much happier with his father around then him. But he couldn't. He couldn't go back to that day. If only he could...

His eyes opened as he grunted, mocking himself. He's a fool to wish that. He's a fool to want to go back in time. That was stupid. His feet walked on, carrying on with his original destination...wherever that was.

-

Sakura felt his aura moving again as she hurried as fast as she could towards it. Another stab of pain entered her heart as she walked and she abruptly had to stop and lean against a building's brick wall for support. He was in pain again...deep pain. It cut through her like a knife cut through butter. Then, gaining her energy again, she walked forward, having to limp all the while. She had to try to get him to stop thinking all this. After all, if no one helped him who will? No one even knew of the deepest pain that he felt except her. She had a responsibility. She had to try, even if she didn't like him at first, to ease his pain that he's been keeping in during all those sad years. If he keeps on retaining in all those feelings, he's sure to really become as cold as ice.

-

Syaoran looked at the building in front of him unemotionally. This was the apartment. It was a beautiful white painted apartment with rows and rows of windows across the walls. One of those rooms would be his. Come to think of it, he'd never lived by himself yet. But he didn't care. He finally had a place where he was definitely alone and isolated from everyone else. He didn't have to care about the people around and he didn't have to help them. He didn't have to feel their sorrow and they didn't have to feel his. He wouldn't be a burden to anyone else any longer and he wouldn't have to have people fussing about him. He'd be by himself in his own apartment...well at least for now until he got back home. But he wasn't even sure he wanted to go back home anymore. After all the trouble to get rid of him, why'd he want his mother to go through any more with him over there? He'd be here, by himself. Just him and his thoughts...sad thoughts.

Syaoran turned away from the beautiful apartment. Did he really want to be alone? Did he really hate people that much now? No...he didn't want to be alone. In fact, it was one thing he dreaded. But if he caused others pain then why would he want to be around them anyway? He sighed as he entered the apartment building.

-

Stepping out from the building, he sighed. He had gotten a room and now all he needed to do was kill time. While he was at it, he should probably find a part time job too, just for temporary. After all, this money wasn't going to last him forever. And he couldn't go and ask his mother for money...not after all this...

He took another step out in the sun when he noticed a very familiar pink aura just in front of him. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even notice Kinomoto's aura? He picked up his head quickly and his eyes caught her emerald eyes. She was panting and looking at him worriedly. Syaoran gritted his teeth. Shit...did she feel any of his thoughts!

Sakura looked at him, his eyes widened and his mouth slightly opened. He was here in front of her. She was determined that she could stop the pain somehow now.

Syaoran took a step back from her. He couldn't be near her. He couldn't let her see how weak he was. Running from Hiiragazawa's house exactly felt like running away from his problems. It wasn't a great show of courage, not at all. But he couldn't take it anymore. His mother had left him here in this country and returned to her own, for god's sake! Suddenly the girl's face showed pain, thinking these thoughts. She felt them. She felt his sadness.

Feeling another stab at her heart, she forgot about her sprained ankle and ran towards him. She saw his shocked expression as she neared, but that was just when a burst of her own pain shot up her leg and she began to fall to the hard, cold ground.

But instead of the cement, she felt warmth and got picked up. Syaoran was there, holding her safely in his arms, just like yesterday at the Trail's Trials.

"K-Kinomoto! What the hell!" she heard him shout. But she smiled despite that. His pain and anguish was suddenly replaced by concern...concern for _her_...

But before she had time to answer him, she was picked up by both of his arms and rushed into the apartment building.

-

Tomoyo, her cellphone to her ear, heard nothing but the continuous ringing of her best friend's cellphone. She was getting worried. Why wasn't she home in bed? She had a sprained ankle! She couldn't have gone out. Tomoyo had told her precisely to stay put and now she wasn't answering! Waiting a few more rings, she hoped that her best friend would pick up the phone. Suddenly, there was a click meaning that someone had picked up and instantly, Tomoyo talked. "Sakura-chan! Why didn't you answer!" she demanded.

But the voice that followed wasn't Sakura's. It belonged to the stuffed animal guardian, Kero. "Tomoyo? Oh, Sakura's not here. She left her cellphone here too, she was such in a hurry."

"I'm sorry, Kero. Do you know where she went?" Tomoyo asked.

"Nope. She just said 'out' after she got that brat's emotions in her again," Kero grumbled.

Tomoyo's amethyst eyes widened. She felt Li-kun's feelings again? Worried for her friend, she anxiously said, "Okay thanks Kero-chan." Then she ended the call.

Grabbing her purse and shoes, she scooted out the door. Sakura had been telling her about the incidents that happened whenever Sakura felt Li's emotions. She had said that she always had a painful, lonely feeling and Tomoyo was worried about her. Where was she anyway? Looking down the street, she knew exactly where to go first.

-

Fumbling with his new apartment keys, he finally opened the door to his new apartment with the Card Mistress still in his arms. As he kicked the door closed and turned, he realized that he didn't have any furniture to lay her on yet! Cursing to himself, he laid her gently against the wall and looked at her swollen ankle as she looked up at him.

Realizing that he had no ice either, he fumbled around in his box that was set nearby and found a plastic Ziploc bag that he kept his toothbrush and toothpaste in. Rushing to the sink in the little kitchen area, he filled the bag halfway with ice cold water and zipped it up. Then he returned to her side and placed the cold bag on top of her ankle. He saw her tremble a bit when he did and gave her a questioning look.

Sakura smiled back. "Oh, it's cold," she said with a tiny giggle.

Syaoran simply nodded in return and sat down a little ways in front of her, avoiding her eyes.  
If only he had been more careful. If only he had remembered that this girl felt his emotions too, maybe she wouldn't have run towards him and got her ankle swollen again.

Sakura smiled as she felt his worry surround her. "It's okay, Li-kun. It's not your fault. Don't be so worried."

Syaoran grunted. "I'm not worried," he lied. "I've just never had a girl in my apartment before."

Sakura blinked, as she sat there. "Your apartment? You moved out of Eriol's?"

He nodded.

"Why?"

Syaoran bit his lip. Because my mother left me here with a pile of cash! That's it! No goodbye, no nothing! But as soon as he said that, he regretted it. He saw Sakura flinched as she received his emotions. "S-Sorry Kinomoto..."

"Sakura..."

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Sakura smiled. "You called me 'Sakura' yesterday didn't you? So keep calling me that! I don't mind!"

Syaoran looked away as a tiny red tint covered his cheek. "I-I've never called anyone who's not family by their first name though..."

Sakura shrugged. "There's a first time for everything, isn't there?"

"I-I guess..."

"So does that mean I can call you Syaoran?" Sakura asked, looking up at him sweetly.

Syaoran almost jumped. No one – especially a girl – ever dared to call him by his first name if they weren't family. He had never allowed it and snapped at anyone who asked. But without thinking he had just shrugged at this situation. "Whatever..." He couldn't stop himself. Oh well, it's not like she was special to him anyway.

Sakura grinned. "Okay. Hey, how about Xiao Lang? Or Syao? No! Syao-chan!" she said laughing.

Syaoran glared at her softly. "Syaoran's fine."

-

As Eriol read through the Sunday newspaper, he suddenly heard a doorbell and since Nakuru was out for the day, he went and opened the front door. He smiled as he saw who it was. "Ah! Tomoyo!"

She smiled and bowed a bit. "Sorry for intruding. But is Sakura here?" she asked.

Eriol shook his head. "Nope. Haven't seen her since yesterday." But as he looked at her now worried eyes he asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Well she was supposed to stay in bed today because her ankle hasn't healed yet. But when I called her, Kero picked up and said that she suddenly left when she started getting some emotions from Li," Tomoyo replied. "He's not here is he?"

Eriol shook his head as he looked at his marble floor sadly. "Yelan-san had to leave for Hong Kong...and well she told me to make him stay put here for now. He needs some time off from such adult work back in Hong Kong. She wanted him to try to have a normal life for at least a little while. B-But...I think he misunderstood her leaving. I think he thinks that she left him here on purpose. He took the money she left him and went to get an apartment."

Tomoyo sighed. "I'm sorry. But I wish Li-kun was back in Hong Kong..." she said quietly.

Eriol's eyes widened. She had never talked like that about anyone! She had never wanted someone to be gone. "Wh-Why! I have to change him while he's still here! There's still a chance, Tomoyo, we can-"

Tomoyo smiled softly. "I'm sorry, Eriol. I didn't mean to upset you. It's just that since Li-kun arrived, everything has been getting gloomier. Sakura gets his painful and lonely feelings more often, Kero and Touya-kun have a person to hate, and Eriol, yesterday when you tried to help Sakura and Li-kun alone together, you collapsed!" she whispered shamefully. "I'm sorry...but I really wish he hadn't come."

Eriol shook his head. "No! Don't give up, Tomoyo! Don't you see? That's what he has done. He has given up on himself, believing that he'll never be happy again because of the guilt and sorrow of his father's death. If the people around him give up on him as well, he'll never be able to live as happily as he could. I try as hard as I could to get him to laugh, or at least smile. But never in my whole life, have I seen him do that. I want him to be happy, Tomoyo. I can't give up on him like that. H-He's more than a descendant to me...he's my friend." Then grabbing her hands gently in his, he looked pleadingly into her eyes. "And I know the only person who would never ever give up on anything or anyone is Sakura. I've noticed it in every battle she's had and every time she caught a Card. She didn't give up easily, and I know she won't give up on Syaoran easily. He's a good guy, honest! You just have to get to know him. Please Tomoyo, please don't give up on him..."

Tomoyo sighed. Li probably _was_ a really good guy underneath all the outer layer of coldness. Eriol was right. It was wrong to give up on Li easily. And she almost felt even more ashamed at the thought that she had almost given up on changing his cold ways. After all, Sakura was trying her best to befriend the antisocial leader of the Li clan. Tomoyo wouldn't give up either. "You're right Eriol. I'm sorry. I was wrong. We will hook up Sakura and Li, no matter what it takes!"

Eriol smiled. "Tomoyo...thank you..."

Tomoyo grinned back as she pulled him out towards the door. "Wanna do a little spying?"

Hel smirked as he followed close behind the dark haired maiden.

-

"Does it still hurt?" Syaoran asked the girl leaning against the wall.

Sakura smiled a bit. "Just a bit."

At this, he frantically searched around his boxes for some form of bandage. Actually, he had no idea what he was doing, but it seemed like the right thing to do. Finding none, he sighed but then grabbed one of his plain white shirts from one of the boxes and ripped a part of it off.

"S-Syaoran!" Sakura said in surprise. He would go as far as ripping his own shirt for her.

Syaoran felt a tingle run up his spine as the girl said his first name and he blushed. "D-Don't worry about it. It's an old shirt anyway." Then he wrapped the ripped piece of clothing around her ankle gently.

Sakura smiled and felt the warmth come to her cheeks. He was handling her so gently, as to not hurt her again. While he was busy wrapping her ankle she glanced up at his face behind those messy brown bangs of his and yet again saw the deep sadness and loneliness hidden in their amber depths. She wanted so much to make it go away. She wanted him to be happy, to forget all his woes and just laugh. "Syaoran..." she whispered without thinking. "Tell me what I can do..."

Syaoran looked up at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Their eyes locked and for a single moment it felt as if they understood each other completely. But as soon as it had come, Syaoran had turned away and it had vanished.

"Syaoran, tell me how I can help to take the pain away from your shoulders," Sakura blurted.

Syaoran looked to her slowly. "You think you understand me? No one does...why should you?"

"No one understands because you don't let us!" she insisted. "You're the one pushing everyone away."

Syaoran shook his head and another stab of pain pierced through Sakura again as she trembled. "No...It may seem like that, I guess. But I don't really want to push everyone away. I-I just..." It was hard for him. Telling his emotions aloud wasn't the easiest thing for Syaoran Li.

Sakura reached out and touched his arm gently and a shock went through Syaoran's skin at her touch. "Tell me."

"It seems that I cause pain to everyone," Syaoran suddenly blurted. "To my mother and sisters because I look so much like my father, to my Elders and the clan because I'll never be as great as he, to Hiirgazawa because he's trying so hard to be my friend and to repent for not helping me when I became the leader, and to you S-Sakura! I worry you and give you so much pain and anger that someone like you shouldn't have to worry about! If my father wasn't dead, I wouldn't be like this. I would be happily living my life and everyone wouldn't be so sad around me. Did you notice that? Wherever I go, I seem to take along the plague of sadness and sorrow! That's why I had to get out of Hiiragazawa's house when my mother left me here in Japan. I-I should be alone! Always alone! So no one would worry and no one would ever see the replica of my father!" he said, his voice rising.

When he said it, everything stopped. The birds outside seemed to stop chirping, the wind seemed to stop blowing and civilization just seemed to freeze in its place. Syaoran was breathing hard as he avoiding the girl's eyes. He had never told anyone this much of himself. And there was also that time when they were under the cherry blossom trees too when they talked like this. But it hadn't been as deep, as emotional as this was now.

"M-My mother left me here...why do you think that?" Syaoran asked quietly. "I-Is it because I am really the bad son I really am? Is it because I'll never measure up to my father? Is it because she hates me for not protecting him that night? She could've at least said goodbye if she couldn't bring me back..." Syaoran said as he sighed and as he looked up at her, she saw the most depressed eyes anyone could've ever seen. "I-If only he didn't die. Nothing would be like this. Everything would've been the way it should be, how fate wanted it to be. Surely fate wouldn't want me to face this torture? I wish I can go back to that night. I could've saved him somehow, anyhow." After a second of speaking his shook his head as if he were ashamed. "Sorry. That was stupid. I-I shouldn't have told you anything. There's no way one can return to the past."

Sakura's eyes widened as she thought up a possible solution. But she definitely wasn't sure if it would work. "One can return to the past, Syaoran," she said determinedly. "With this."

She shuffled around her pocket until she found the Card she was looking for. Holding it up, she saw Syaoran's eyes widen.

"Th-The Return!"

Sakura nodded and smiled. "We may be able to save your father if we return to that night. I'm not sure if the Card lets us change the past, but it's worth a shot isn't it?"

Syaoran stared at the Card in her hand. "I've heard about this. The Elders told me that it _can_ change one's past if it wasn't fate to bring it there..."

Sakura blinked. "Hoe?"

"It means that if it wasn't supposed to happen, you can change the past. But if it _was_ supposed to happen, you can't," Syaoran said as he looked at her. "be careful when you use that, okay? It takes a lot of your energy..."

Sakura nodded and smiled. "Okay, thanks." Then she tried to stand up on her sprained ankle.

"Oy! Be careful!" Syaoran yelled as she fell again straight into his arms. "You're so careless!"

Sakura sweatdropped. "Hoee...sorry." Then with a deep breath, she chanted her words and with a bright light, her pink wand appeared in her hand. She turned to the guy holding her in his arms loosely. "Ready, Syaoran?"

Syaoran nodded. But was he really ready? Did he wasn't to face that scene all over again? Did he want to hear those gunshots, the sudden shout in pain? Did he want to see his dead father lying immobile on the floor in front of him?

No...But after all, if it could change how things were, he'd go for anything.

Sakura smiled encouragingly at him and held up the Return Card. With a flash of white light, the air seemed to distort and suddenly they vanished.

-

Eriol, seeing that he had magic, was leading Tomoyo through the streets towards the area where Syaoran and Sakura were. But suddenly, Tomoyo noticed that Eriol just seemed to stop.

"Eriol?" she asked curiously. "What's the matter?"

Eriol looked to her with a confused look in his eyes. "They seemed to have...suddenly disappeared. I-I can't feel their auras anymore."

Tomoyo blinked. "B-But how can they just disappear like that?"

Eriol thought for a minute, his finger to his chin. He closed his eyes and tried to pinpoint anything strange that he felt. "I don't feel their auras, but I do feel an incredibly strong Card being used..." he said.

"But there's no Card that would make them suddenly vanish is there?"

Eriol sighed. "Kind of...not exactly..."

When he saw that Tomoyo was still confused, he turned to her. "The Return."

"But what could they possibly be returning t-" Tomoyo's eyes widened. "Oh no."

Eriol nodded solemnly. "They're going back to the day Syaoran's father died."

-

"A-Are we there?" Sakura asked as she looked around their surroundings. It seemed to be blurry all around them but she noticed that they were on a pathway surrounded by lots of trees. It was a park. The sun was going down, casting its pink and purple light throughout the place. Sakura felt Syaoran's presence behind her and turned to him. "Is this-" But she stopped immediately as she saw his bland gaze turn towards two figures in the distance who were walking towards them.

Sakura eyes widened as the two people neared. She saw a tall, handsome man with identical amber eyes to Syaoran's. He had a calm face with a very small smile on his lips and ruffled up chocolate brown hair, but a little darker than Syaoran's was. Sakura saw the man holding on to a kid's chubby hand, looking down at him with a smile. The kid had the same messy hair as the man and the exact same eyes. The child, Sakura realized, was Syaoran. Except he, unlike the present Syaoran beside her, had a big grin on his face as he chatted about something with the man holding his hand. Sakura felt Syaoran trembling as he watched the scene and she instantly felt his pain at the sad memory. She bit her lip and reached for his hand. She felt Syaoran's grip wrap around her hand as it trembled slightly. At least Sakura was there to comfort him.

Syaoran whole body just froze in its spot as he saw a younger version of himself walking down the park's path holding onto his father's hand. It was exactly the same. This was definitely it. Syaoran felt his throat clog up as he gazed at his father. He hadn't seen him for so long that he had almost forgotten how he looked like and how he sounded like when he talked. It was so painful watching this, knowing that if they were to go back to the present, he wouldn't be able to see his father alive and walking. He started trembling, dreading the moments that were to come. The gunshots, the blood... Suddenly he felt a warm, small hand touch his and he immediately grabbed it. As soon as he did, he started to calm down a bit. Sakura's hand was all he needed to do that.

The two figures of a younger Syaoran and his father walked past them as if they didn't exist. But Sakura and Syaoran stayed still, not knowing what to do exactly. They had come to try to stop what was to happen, but they hadn't really figured out how. Suddenly some rustling from behind made them turn and out emerged a guy, dressed in all black, with his head and face covered too, except for his piercing black eyes. Syaoran's eyes widened as he saw the dangerous weapon in his hands. As the person pulled the trigger which was directed to the man who didn't realize he was there, Syaoran feet took flight and he began running towards his father as sweat dripped down his forehead. He wouldn't watch it all over again. It was way too painful to watch...

Suddenly, his feet seemed to stop. His body was frozen again, but this time, he couldn't move at all. His father was right there, right in front of him and he couldn't move, not even to blink! He watched in horror as the loud gunshot pierced the night air, and he saw his father turn around in surprise. But it was too late. Blood dripped down his shoulder, then two more bullets pierced through his body. He slowly fell to the ground, letting go of the poor kid's hand. Syaoran's father seemed to say something, but right then loud police sirens were heard, causing the man with the gun slip away quietly.

Sakura's body was paralyzed, just as Syaoran's seemed to be. She couldn't move, couldn't blink, and could even barely breathe. Her eyes were fixed on the horrible scene unfolding before her. The man, Syaoran's father, was lying on the cement as his blood slowly spread around him. The younger Syaoran was on his knees in the state of shock as he trembled hard. And the present Syaoran, who was only a couple of feet away from his father's dying body, was forced to watch the scene all over again, as the sirens penetrated the cold, silent evening. Sakura couldn't see his face for it was turned, but she knew he was in distress. She felt was coldness and grief cut deep in her heart that whole time. He had to suffer through the scene...all over again.

Suddenly, Sakura's vision blurred. "S-Syaoran?" Then she felt her body fell to the ground weakly.

-

"Is this where the auras seemed to lead?" Tomoyo asked Eriol as they looked around the place curiously. They were standing in front of a white apartment building that looked pretty expensive.

"Well this is the place Nakuru told him of. And the Sakura Card's aura is coming straight from that building," he replied.

"Should we go in?"

Before he could answer her question, however, he suddenly felt the Card's aura at its peak and then vanish altogether. Then, Syaoran's and Sakura's auras were suddenly felt.

"Eriol, are you okay?" Tomoyo asked worriedly. He had just gazed at the apartment building suddenly without blinking. It was pretty odd for Eriol to zone out like that.

"C'mon, Tomoyo," he said suddenly with worry obvious in his tone. "They're back."

Then he took her hand and ran inside before she could utter a word. Not even asking the person at the counter, he led her to the elevator and pressed the floor number four without thinking. His magic was really coming in handy especially when dealing with those two.

They waited silently until the little elevator _'ding'_ was heard and stepped out of the elevator in a rush, zooming past the other tenants in the halls. Eriol led her through the intersections and turns of the hallways and finally, they stopped in front of a door with the numbers '407' on it. They looked at each other silently, as they just stood there in front of the apartment.

"Eriol, what's wrong? You're all tense," Tomoyo said as she saw his concerned eyes and stiff body. For Eriol, being tense was way strange for him. He was usually so calm and collected.

He turned to her worriedly. "Something's wrong. Th-They're auras are...weak."

Tomoyo's eyes widened and she gripped onto the doorknob. There goes their plan of spying. Surprisingly, when she turned the knob, it opened revealing a neat, almost empty apartment. Then they spotted the two teens sprawled on the floor at a very odd position and Tomoyo whipped out her camera to record the scene.

Sakura was lying on her side on the carpeted floor, gripping onto Syaoran's shirt with one hand as the boy lay closely next to her, his arms wrapped protectively around her. It was such a cute sight, that Eriol and Tomoyo were grinning big smiles on their faces. Then, Eriol noticed the Card lying next to Sakura. He went over to pick it up and on it was the words "The Return."

"So we were right, Eriol," Tomoyo said with her camera out in front of her. Then she giggled. "But still, the way they're laying next to each other makes you wonder what they've been doing all this time."

Eriol smirked. "Oh yes. Looks like they had a pretty fun time without us..."

"Shh, Eriol! They're waking up!"

The teenage boy groaned aloud as he felt the sun's rays blinding him from the windows. But he was just so cozy right now that he didn't want to get up. Without opening his eyes, he cuddled up to the warm pillow he was holding, getting closer to it. Forcing his eyes shut against the blinding light, he hugged the pillow tighter, wrapping his arms around it even more. He never wanted to get up, never. But it was then that he got a strange thought.

_'Aren't pillows supposed to be...fluffy?'_

Then finally remembering what had just happened, he sat up quickly without knowing that he had brought up Sakura with him. He turned his head slowly, almost dreading what was in his arms, though he knew exactly what – or rather _who_ – it was. His face burned as he saw that safe in his arms was none other than Kinomoto Sakura sleeping peacefully with a small smile on her lips.

Suddenly he heard laughing and he just then noticed that they his actions were being watched by two –no _three_ things; Eriol, Tomoyo, and Tomoyo's dreaded camera.

"Well, well, well...you _are_ falling for the girl, Syaoran," Eriol said laughing heartily. Syaoran's face was just so funny that it was hard for someone not to laugh. He had the look of shock on his face with his amber eyed widened and his jaw slightly opened. And besides that, he had that unmistakable blush on his cheeks. Eriol thought he'd never see Syaoran like that. It was funny, yet relieving.

Syaoran just sat there, trying to explain. "Th-This is...I mean...i-it's not...we w-were..." he stuttered, unable to complete any of his sentences.

Tomoyo giggled, the camera in her hands still rolling. "Were you two busy? We'll leave you two if you are."

"N-No! It's not-"

Suddenly Syaoran's words were cut off by the sleeping angel's stirring. Syaoran blushed even more – if that was possible – as Sakura gripped onto his shirt even more, inching closer to him. Then an unmistakable name came from her lips. "Syaoran..."

Eriol and Tomoyo burst into laughter. "Whoa Syaoran," Eriol said wiping the tears off his eyes, "Going pretty fast now are we?"

Syaoran still tried to explain himself, though failing horribly at it. "W-We were just doing something, okay? She just collapsed and then-" Realizing how wrong that sounded, he turned even redder and tried to recover. "I-I mean-"

But it was too late. Tomoyo and Eriol were laughing so hard that they had to lean against something to keep them standing.

"Oh gosh, Li! You're face looks so funny! This is so hilarious!" Tomoyo said, laughing all the while.

Syaoran sighed in frustration as he no longer wasted his breath on trying to explain. He looked at the sleeping girl in his arms and scowled at her. He had told her to be careful! And now here she is, her energy wasted on that single Card. She'll probably be asleep for the rest of the day. But it had been a waste anyway. It was all for nothing. All it did was force him to stand there helplessly as his father died in front of him. He had to relive the memory all over again. It seemed as if fate _wanted_ that to happen...

"Just wait until Sakura sees this!" Tomoyo exclaimed happily.

Syaoran turned even redder at the thought of Sakura seeing this scene. "NO! DON'T YOU DARE!"

But Sakura was oblivious to everything. All she felt was the great warmness around her and she happily cuddled even closer as the Tomoyo and Eriol's laughing and Syaoran's protests continued around her.

**TO BE CONTINUED **


	8. A Surprise Smile

**Tied By Fate  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer**: I don't own, so please don't sue!

* * *

**Chapter 8:** A Surprise Smile

The boy got up slowly, holding his head with a hand. He sat upright on his bed, the sheets scattered about messily. He hadn't slept well. Not at all.

Remembering it was a school day, he glanced at his digital clock. 5:00AM. Who in their right minds would wake up at 5:00 in the morning? It was way too early to be up. But he didn't want to go back to sleep. If he did, he knew that there would be nightmares, so why bother? Damn those nightmares. They were the same scene over and over again. But of course, we all know what that scene is...

He lay back in his bed, his weary amber orbs slightly open. He was dead tired. Not only had he had all those terrifying nightmares, but all day yesterday, he had been cleaning up his brand new apartment. It hadn't taken long at all to unpack since he didn't really have that much stuff, but he had to dust and wash the place. For some reason, he couldn't stand dirty places. Besides, it gave him something to do after Eriol, Tomoyo, and Sakura left yesterday. But thinking about his apartment only made him think about how alone he was now...literally.

It was for the best though. Why would he want to burden other people with his misery anyway?

But of course, thinking about burdens led him to thinking about _her._ _Sakura_. Just the name seems to do something to him. But whatever...it's not his fault that she felt his pain and misery. He hadn't asked for it, just like he definitely hadn't asked for her to use the Return Card to bring them back to the day his father died.

But he knew that whatever he did, he'd feel guilty. Since she had used the Card, it had drained her energy and she had fainted. Not only that, but she had to witness that horrible scene...

Syaoran slapped his forehead with a hand. "Damn...Why'd I let her use the Card! Sh-She's too innocent to see anything like that..."

Of course, he beat himself inside because of that. He wished he could take all of yesterday back. But he had just been curious! That's all! He couldn't help but wonder if fate had really wanted that event to happen. After all, he hadn't been able to do anything to save him.

Was fate really that cruel?

He sighed in frustration. Why'd he have to think so much? He knew he should just let it all go. But still...if he had been stronger when it happened...then maybe...

Irritated, he sat up quickly and threw the covers off him as he stood up. It was still early, but he didn't want to just dwell here and think about all this. He had to get out...now.

Picking up a towel and his school uniform, he exited his room and walked towards his new bathroom.

Maybe living alone didn't bury your problems after all...  
...in fact, maybe it just burns even more through your mind...

-

The small guardian heard his master rustling about with his superb hearing due to his huge cat-like ears. Opening a sleepy eye, he saw Eriol standing in front of his bed, already dressed in his uniform and rustling about through his school bag to make sure everything was in place.

"Eriol?" came Suppi's sleepy mutter.

Eriol turned and put on his glasses. After he was done adjusting the glasses, he smiled. "Ohayo Spinel."

Tiredly, Spinel sat up from his "bed" on a cushion and gave a huge yawn. Glancing at the clock he was suddenly curious as Eriol grabbed something from his desk for school.

"Isn't it a bit early, Eriol?" Suppi asked.

Still smiling blandly, Eriol nodded, not turning to face him. "I guess."

"You're an early riser, but you don't get up _this_ early," Spinel said.

"Couldn't sleep," came the simple reply.

"Why?"

Eriol stopped shifting his stuff in the school bag and just stood there for a second staring in the air without blinking. Spinel was wondering if he had heard him and he began to ask the question again when Eriol interrupted.

"He's restless. His aura is deeply trouble. Only confusion and loneliness fills his mind."

Spinel was silent. He knew whom his master was talking about. The young Li Clan leader.

Then without another word, Eriol turned, snatching the bag and walked towards the door silently.

"E-Eriol? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to class. I'll go and help the person who has morning clean up duty..."

"But–"

But Eriol was already out the door.

Suppi blinked as he heard Nakuru, another early riser, chirping away at Eriol asking him why he was early, if he wanted breakfast, and where he was going. He heard Eriol's curt reply, and another slam of the door was heard.

-

Syaoran walked silently through the streets of the small town. It was 5:30 in the morning and rest of the town seemed to have finally gotten up. But there was still that tranquility in the air, as if everything and everyone was relaxing just one more minute before returning to the work day.

Keeping his thoughts to himself as he roamed the streets, he wondered what he should do now. He knew that the high school was probably open to the early students, but he didn't want to go there yet. He had two and a half hours to kill before going to that dreaded school. As he turned the corner, he realized that the street looked familiar. Looking around while still walking, he felt a very familiar aura drawing close and knew immediately that this was Sakura's street. Then, trying to remember which house hers was, he looked around trying to sense where her aura was exactly coming from. He came to a very modest, nice looking house that was between the color of yellow and peach. He stood in front of the front steps, not knowing why he had wanted to come here anyway. It was still pretty early. Maybe she wasn't awake yet. Then without thinking, he started to think about how she looked like in her pajamas and sleeping peacefully on her bed.

Picturing a cute, perfect sleeping figure of Sakura in his mind, he shook his head to rid the thought. Then looking up at the house, wondered why he was feeling all this. Why was the girl often on his mind?

Then he thought about how he looked like a fool standing out here just staring at the house, he started to turn around when a noise came to his ears. He saw a tall man with Sakura's honey brown hair and glasses covering his light brown eyes come into view carrying a full trashcan towards him. He was already dressed in a business suit and looked like he was struggling with the trashcan which held two full bags of garbage inside.

Before he knew it, he had hurried to him and helped him carry the trashcan to the front sidewalk.

He seemed to be doing a lot without thinking these days.

After placing the can there, Fujitaka sighed and turned to Syaoran who was standing there nervously. Why was Yelan's boy here? Did he want something? Did something happen? Even though he was still quite upset how the boy had acted and fought with his children when he had first gotten here, he _had_ just helped him with the trash after all so Fujitaka gave him a small smile.

"Ah! Li-kun! This is a surprise," the father said.

Syaoran meekly nodded. He didn't know why but he felt oddly nervous around the man even though he hadn't been when they first met. He felt like...he was on trial or something and that Sakura's father was watching his every move. Why did he feel this way? Then when he remembered how he had acted so arrogantly the night they met and that Fujitaka wasn't particularly happy with how he fought with Touya and insulted Sakura, he inwardly cringed. This hadn't happened before. He hadn't felt this self-conscious in awhile. It was a weird feeling. As if...he wanted to _impress_ Sakura's dad.

"Li-kun?" came Fujitaka's confused voice as the boy wasn't saying anything at all.

"Eh? Oh! G-Gomen. O-Ohayo, Kinomoto-san..." Syoran said nervously, bowing a bit.

Fujitaka's eyebrow rose in surprise. Was this the same boy who he had met a couple of weeks ago and was so rude? Was this the same boy who had a special "connection" with his daughter? His smile widened as he stared down at the boy who was fidgeting nervously under his gaze.

"Li-kun, you seem...different somehow," Fujitaka said.

Syaoran shrugged. "I _feel_ different somehow...when I'm near–"

He stopped himself quickly before he could say his daughter's name. Wouldn't that be pretty odd if he said that he's been feeling different when he's around Sakura to her father? Fujitaka wouldn't know what to think.

Fujitaka stared at him a couple of seconds more before he smiled again. "Ah! How rude of me! Have you come to see Sakura, Li-kun? Or did you just happen to pass by?"

At the sound of the girl's voice a thin tint of blush rose to his cheeks. "O-Oh no! Th-This just happens t-to be on my way t-to school! I-I'm not here to see S-Sakura or anything!" he said quickly.

But at this, Fujitaka's smile widened greatly.

Syaoran blinked in confusion. "Umm...Kinomoto-san? I-Is there something wrong?"

The man shook his head, the wide grin still on his lips. "It just sounds like you and Sakura got pretty close, that's all. You even say her first name now."

Syaoran flushed. "W-Well, she's not _that_ bad...I...umm..."

Fujitaka chuckled. "Relax, Li-kun. Would you like to come in? I'm just about to leave for work but Sakura isn't awake yet. She usually wakes up at 7:15 though."

The boy's amber eyes widened. " 7:15! That only leaves her fifteen minutes to get to school!"

Fujitaka chuckled. "Yeah, I know. Sakura's not really the 'on-time' person. Well, come in, come in! I'll make you some tea."

Sakura's father turned around, walking towards the house as Syaoran stood there for a second. He sighed. He couldn't just leave now. He had to be polite after all. Oh, why had he come here! Slowly, he followed the man into the house.

-

Eriol entered his empty homeroom classroom and set his things on a desk. Looking around, he saw that no one was here. Where was the morning cleaner? He racked his brains to try to figure out who had morning duty today but he had totally forgotten. Oh well, might as well help out a bit. Walking towards the chalkboard he took the erasers and brought them over towards the window. He clapped them, his arms outside the open window, causing chalk dust to smoke out.

But he didn't even notice as the chalk covered part of his cheek. He was in a daze. All night last night, he had felt Syaoran's restless aura trying to get some sleep. He figured that it had something to do with the Return Card. Eriol knew that Syaoran had tried to change what had happened in the past. That would've worked if the event he was trying to change wasn't by fate. But he couldn't change it. So does that mean...Syaoran's father's death was by _fate_? Fate wanted all this to happen? It wanted Syaoran to suffer that much? Eriol sighed. Why would fate want to do that to a boy, to make him watch his father die in front of him? Actually now, Syaoran had had to watch the scene _two_ times now. The first time had been when he was eight, and the second had been just yesterday. No wonder Syaoran's aura was restless. In fact, he could feel it now except it was more nervous than restless now.

Eriol was wondering why Syaoran's aura could be nervous so early in the morning as this when a tap on his shoulder wakened him from his musings.

"Eriol!" The worried voice was distinctly familiar.

He turned around and saw Tomoyo standing in front of him holding a bucket of water.

"T-Tomoyo!" Eriol exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here so early in the morning?"

She set the bucket down and pouted. "I'm on morning duty! The real question is why are _you_ here so early? You don't have morning duty today."

Eriol sighed as he clapped the erasers in his hands some more. "Woke up too early. I had to get out of there."

Tomoyo's face softened. She knew that he had been worried sick about Li. "Eriol, I'm sure Li-kun alright," she said, trying to be encouraging.

Eriol nodded slightly. "You're probably right. He's strong after all...most of the time."

Tomoyo smiled and gave him a quick, cheerful hug that made his knees grow weak. "That's my Eriol! Oh and Eriol?" she said as she parted from him.

"Hmm?"

Silently, Tomoyo lifted her finger to his cheek and rubbed it softly. At the touch of her finger, Eriol felt some tingles going up his spine. A blush went to the usually calm boy's face and he wondered if she noticed.

Tomoyo giggled, a flush deepening on her face. "You had some chalk dust there," she said sheepishly.

Eriol nodded awkwardly and turned to clap the erasers that were still in his hands and also to hide his blush from her.

He heard her giggle again. "Eriol, you should really stop clapping those two erasers. I think they're done by now..."

He chuckled as he saw that no more chalk dust emitting from it anymore and grabbed another two. "Thanks..." Never before had he stumbled or became nervous...it must have something to do with Tomoyo.

-

"Arigato..." Syaoran said as Fujitaka handed him a warm cup of tea.

Syaoran was seated on the large couch while the man sat across from him on a smaller one.

Fujitaka chuckled as he saw the teen nervously sipping his tea, looking around cautiously. "Shall I wake Sakura?" he asked.

Syaoran shook his head. "No, no...let her sleep."

Fujitaka nodded. "She's been really tired since yesterday. In fact, Daidouji-san had to carry her home and she's been sleeping ever since."

Syaoran nodded solemnly. He knew exactly why she was so tired...

"I-I felt her use some magic yesterday," Fujitaka said although he wasn't really used to talking about his daughter's abilities so openly. "She probably just used a powerful Card. No need to worry about her though."

But Syaoran knew that Fujitaka was worried about his daughter. Who wouldn't be worried about their daughter who uses very strong magic? It wasn't hard to believe that half of Clow Reed's reincarnation was sitting in front of him. Clow Reed was caring and kind, and always worried about other people, especially those who were close to him. But of course Clow Reed was also sly, shifty, and loved to plan schemes...that's probably why Eriol was the other half. Clow Reed was probably split into those two personalities or something.

But still, Syaoran felt really guilty for some reason. Maybe it was because her father was out here worrying his butt off about her using strong Cards, when Syaoran was the one who let her do it.

Suddenly, feeling the guilty rush over him, he stood up quickly and bowed. "I'm sorry!"

Fujitaka blinked from behind his cup of tea. "Whatever are you sorry for?"

"I'm the one who let her use that strong Card! Gomen!"

Fujitaka smiled. Wow, this kid was sure changing fast. "Oh Li-kun, it's all right. Besides, Sakura was the one who probably _wanted_ to use that Card. I just have to learn to except that she – and I for that matter – have magical abilities even though I worry sometimes. Don't worry so much, Li-kun. You sound too much like your mother."

Syaoran blinked. His _mother_? He acted like his _mother_? He never knew that they had anything in common at all.

"Yelan was always worried about Nadeshiko – Sakura's and Touya's mother – during the high school days. She was one of the only people that knew we were together besides Sonomi Daidouji," he chuckled a bit. "Yelan was always fretting about what the school would do if they found out that I, a teacher, and Nadeshiko, a student, were together."

Syaoran sat back down on the couch after the story. "Seems like you know more about my mother than I do," he mumbled.

Fujitaka looked at the boy sadly watching him look down into his tea. He had been through too much. Much more than a kid should handle. "Your mother _does_ love you, Li-kun. You're her son no matter what. She doesn't blame you for what happened. She's just scared that _you're_ blaming yourself for what happened," he said softly.

His words struck through Syaoran and he sat there quietly. His mother is scared that _he_ was blaming himself? Really? He had always thought that she was the one who blamed him for her beloved husband's death.

Suddenly they heard the clock chime ringing through the house and Fujitaka practically jumped from his seat. "Oh gosh, it's six o'clock! I'm going to be late!" He grabbed his suitcase and turned to Syaoran quickly with a smile on his face. "You may stay if you like. After all, I doubt that you want to be two hours early for school." Rushing to the door, he turned around one more time. "Oh, and if you do stay, can you please wake Sakura up? Her room is upstairs, the last door all the way at the end of the hallway. Let her be early for school at least one time this year," he said cheerfully. Then he was out the door.

Syaoran sat there on the couch staring at the closed door. Kinomoto-san _trusted_ him alone in the house with his daughter while she was _sleeping_! Syaoran shook his head. Wait, what was he thinking? _Trusted_! He wasn't going to do anything! Right...? He pictured an innocently sleeping Sakura dressed in her pajamas with a small smile on her pink, luscious, soft lips. He practically dropped his tea as a blush spread on his face. Why was he thinking this way! Shaking his head, he drank the rest of the tea and stood. He might as well stay. Where else would he go? He didn't want to go back to his apartment. It was a waste. Besides, he would rather stay here where Sakura was...even though she wasn't awake.

He placed the cups in the kitchen sink and washed them carefully. The least he could do was wash the cups after Fujitaka let him in the house. And he wanted to stall before he went to Sakura's room to wake her. Just the thought of him going into a girl's room made him flush. It's not like he was going to do anything to her! He was just going to wake her up! Grumbling under his breath, he wondered if Tomoeda had some kind of girl-obsessing drug in the air. After all, he hadn't felt this way about girls. He groaned. He was turning into a perverted teenager! Sighing, he saw that he had finished washing the cups and his heart beat faster at the thought of going upstairs to her room. But as he glanced at the empty breakfast table, he decided to make some breakfast for her. After all, she'll be hungry when she wakes up. With that excuse, he looked through the cupboards and saw some pancake mix and decided to get to work.

-

The girl under the blanket groaned as she woke, feeling her sleepiness wear away. But she _wanted_ to sleep! She wanted to stay under the comfy blanket and rest her head. After a couple of more minutes she sighed and sat up. She was just not sleepy anymore even though she was comfy. Glancing at the clock she saw that it was 6:16 in the morning. Wow, when was the last time she had gotten up this early? Not even Kero was awake yet! She could still hear his snoring from his little room in the drawer. Wow...she was actually _early_!

Then a familiar scent came to her nose. It was...pancakes! Her favorite! But hadn't her father said that he wouldn't be able to make any breakfast for her because he had to go to work extra early today? She shrugged, sure that it was nothing to worry about. Then, testing her foot before she stood, she saw that her ankle was all better! Wow, that long sleep helped her ankle a lot! Then she grabbed her towel and bounded out her bedroom door, towards the bathroom which was the door next to hers. She breathed in the scent of pancakes in the air and walked into the bathroom, turning on the shower.

-

Syaoran was almost about done with the pancakes and after a minute more, he placed the last one on a plate. Placing the plate in the middle of the breakfast table, he also concluded to set up the table too. He was just about to place the last thing on the table when he heard someone coming from the stairs and he froze in place. Uh-oh...

"Otou-san?" came a feminine voice. "I thought you were–"

Sakura, already done with the shower and dressing up, stopped in mid-sentence at the sight of Syaoran standing over the breakfast table. W-Was she dreaming! Why on Earth would he be here out of all places?

"O-Ohayo, S-Sakura..." Syaoran said softly as he placed the thing on the table.

"Syaoran?" Sakura said blinking. "What are you doing here?'

Syaoran flushed. "Well, I was walking by your house and your dad let me in...but then he left for work so...

Walking towards him, she looked at the pancakes. "But he said yesterday that he had to leave at six o'clock. Surely you haven't been sure before six right?"

Syaoran smiled sheepishly. "Uh.."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Hoeee! You've been here for that long and you didn't wake me up? This is so embarrassing..." she said, an embarrassed flush covering her cheeks. "What kind of host am I?"

Syaoran shook his head. "No, no. It's not your fault. I'm the one who came early. Now sit. I made pancakes for you."

Sakura nodded as she sat down. She smiled brightly at him. "Pancakes are my favorite! Arigato!"

Watching her popping pancakes in her mouth, he chuckled softly. "You look like a pig eating like that!"

Sakura frowned. "Oh be quiet. I LOVE pancakes. Hey, want some?"

Syaoran nodded awkwardly, hearing his stomach grumble. He hadn't had breakfast yet. Sitting across from her, they ate in silence and in no time, they were already done.

Sakura sat back and sighed." Pancakes are so good..."

Syaoran nodded again and started to gather the plates when she stopped him. "I'll gather them, Syaoran! I already feel bad enough!" Without his consent, she gathered the plates up and placed them in the sink.

"So should we head to school now?" Sakura asked, grabbing her school bag.

Syaoran nodded. "S-Sure..."

-

The two teens walked down the street silently towards their school with their own thoughts. Syaoran of course was still feeling really guilty.

"Sakura..." Syaoran said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Are you...okay...?"

Sakura turned to him and plastered a smile on her face. She knew that he was worried about her. She knew that he was feeling really guilty. She could feel the guilt burning a hole through her. "I'm fine Syaoran! Stop being a worry wart!"

"I know you're faking that smile," Syaoran whispered.

Sakura shrugged as the smile faded. "Syaoran, it's really okay though. I-It wasn't such a nice scene to watch but–"

Syaoran stopped walking which caused Sakura to stop too. "I-I'm sorry...for making you see that...y-you shouldn't have to watch something like that..."

Sakura frowned. "Syaoran! Don't beat yourself for it! I'm fine...really. I'm just worried about you..."

Syaoran blinked. "Me?" Why was she worried about him?

"You had to watch it _twice_, Syaoran! And it was _your_ father who...who..." Sakura instantly felt a painful twinge at her heart and immediately felt guilty. "I-I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. It's not your fault..." he said as he started walking again.

Sakura followed, feeling bad for her new friend. How could she cheer him up? How could she make him know that she was so worried about him? Syaoran was lonely. She could feel it. He needed a friend and she wanted to be that friend. Then she realized a way. "Hey, Syaoran?"

"Hmm?"

She fished the tickets for the amusement park from her pocket and showed him. "Wanna go to the amusement park? I was going to invite Eriol and Tomoyo but I needed another person so..."

Syaoran looked ahead silently. "Y-You...wanted to invite me?"

Sakura nodded, a smile on her lips once more. "Yeah! Why not? C'mon, we'll go today after school. I'll have to tell Eriol and Tomoyo still though. So, you wanna come?"

"Why me?" Syaoran said miserably. He was sure that she just pitied him...and he hated when people pitied him and thought of him as the 'poor, little boy who had to watch his father die'.

"Well, why wouldn't I invite my newest best friend? Besides, it's gonna be fun! Roller coasters, loops, ice cream, cotton candy, the ferris wheel, games, and–"

"Okay, okay," Syaoran said with a chuckle. "Fine I'll come." He couldn't help but to laugh a bit. Maybe it was from her excitement but it was probably because she said he was her 'newest best friend.' When she said that, he felt something inside that made him want to laugh, to cry out for joy. He had...a friend. A _best_ friend. Wow...he never had that before. Being lost in his thoughts, he just realized that Sakura had stopped walking and turned around in confusion. "Sakura?"

She walked towards him, shock written on her face and just stood there staring up at him with the same expression.

Syaoran chuckled _again_. Wow...that really felt weird. "Sakura? Are you okay? You look like you've seen a _ghost_," he said, stressing the ghost part.

But Sakura ignored him and then suddenly she threw herself into his arms for a hug.

Syaoran almost fell in surprise. Why the sudden hug? But he must admit to himself...he didn't mind at all. Immediately at the thought of a girl in his arms, he blushed. "Sakura?"

Sakura pulled away with a huge grin on her face. "Syaoran...you're _smiling_!"

Syaoran's eye's widened as he realized that he _was_ smiling. But he couldn't stop. It was addictive. In fact, all he had to do was look at Sakura's happy face and he could feel a tug on his lips.

He looking away in embarrassment, still grinning. "N-No I'm not...:

Sakura shook her head. "Yeah you are! You _still_ are! Oh Syaoran! I'm so happy!"

He turned to her, a grin still evident on his lips. "Fine...just don't tell anyone..."

Sakura faked a pout. "Aww! Why not? You look so handsome when you smile!"

His amber orbs widened and his heart grew wild at her words. "Wh-What?"

A grin on her face, she repeated herself enthusiastically. "YOU...LOOK...HANDSOME...WHEN...YOU...SMILE!" she said slowly so that Syaoran would catch every word.

Syaoran definitely felt a blush on his cheeks as he looked at her in confusion. "N-No..."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Oh stop it! You look _reall_yhandsome, Syaoran. I bet all the girls will swarm after you with that smile of yours. Really, you should smile more often." Then grabbing his arm she started to drag him slowly towards the school. "C'mon! And don't you _dare_ stop smiling! Eriol and Tomoyo _have _to see the hot Syaoran that smiles!"

She wasn't lying either. He _did_ look cute..._extremely_ cute. He looked pretty cute before, but with a genuine smile on his face, she saw a _major_ difference...a good difference. She couldn't help but think that every girl in school would want her new best friend. Aww! Imagine! Syaoran and a girl! That's so cute! But she had to admit, she'd feel at least a bit jealous. But that wasn't weird...right?

Syaoran was in a daze. This girl...something was up with her. How could such a small girl affect him so? How could she be able to make him smile when no one else couldn't? What was wrong with him? Why did his heart beat faster when he was near her? Wasn't it just a few weeks ago he had hated her and teased her? But now...after yesterday's events and being so worried...there was something odd. He couldn't let her know this! What would happen if she did! He'd think up a way later to hide his feelings from her. Maybe he can use some magic to cover it up or something.

Then he realized with widened eyes.

During this whole time...he hadn't felt it. He hadn't felt that aching feeling in his heart or the heavy guilt on his shoulders. Nor did he care about the Li Leader responsibilities.

This whole time...he hadn't thought a single lonely thought.

**TO BE CONTINUED **


	9. Musings

**Tied by Fate  
By**: pnaixrose

**Disclaimer:** I don't own so don't sue.

* * *

**Chapter 9: **Musings

"S-Sakura…stop it!" Syaoran snapped. "P-People are staring!"

Sakura, dragging the poor boy by the arm, looked back at him and beamed. "Oh, nonsense. It's probably because you're smiling!"

Syaoran blushed. She was right. He _was_ still smiling. Now he was beginning to feel like a fool actually. But he couldn't help it! That smile…just wouldn't leave! It was stuck to his face like bubblegum stuck to hair. It wouldn't leave! Every time he tried to get rid of it, the smile would disappear for one second and then easily reappear. This was especially odd for the Li Leader. He was strictly taught how to hide and conceal all his feelings, so he wouldn't think that a simple smile would be so hard to get rid of.

"Syaoran, hurry up!" Sakura said adding a giggle.

Syaoran's smile softened as she continued her dragging. She was making too big a deal of this. But he had to admit it. He was enjoying her company. He knew it was odd, but even before when they didn't get along, he always felt something around her. But now it seemed stronger for some reason. Was it her aura? Did it change somehow? Did it have something to do with their emotion bond? No…he didn't think that was it. What was it with this girl?

All he knew was that he had to hide this from her somehow. He knew that right now his emotions were wild and that she could clearly feel it. But he decided to find out a way to shield his emotions somehow later on. He couldn't let her know that he was feeling all this for her! That would be so embarrassing! Plus, he didn't know what the hell this feeling was. He couldn't let her know this feeling when he didn't know it himself.

It was then while Sakura dragged him through the high school's halls that he suddenly noticed that everyone around him was looking at him oddly with their mouths wide open, especially the girls. He groaned aloud.

Sakura heard him and giggled, feeling the uneasy feeling from him. "See? The girls are practically drooling!" she said.

"That's not a good thing!" he snapped with a whisper.

Sakura giggled, her emerald eyes twinkling. She was beginning to really like Syaoran when he was like this. He was actually fun to be around. It was weird actually. She felt a pleasant tingle deep in her heart. She had no idea what it was exactly, but it made her happy.

Syaoran heard her laugher and couldn't help but blush. Great. Now he was a smiling, blushing fool. Whispers from the other students were heard as they walked through the building towards their class. Syaoran could distinctly hear the words "going out," "hot," and "lucky." He couldn't wait to get out of the halls and actually pushed Sakura a bit to make her walk even faster. He hated this attention.

Sakura smiled, feeling the anxiousness. "Wow, you must really hate the attention," she whispered.

Syaoran just groaned.

But finally, they reached their classroom and entered it. A couple of other students were their along with Eriol and Tomoyo who were sitting together and talking. But as soon as Sakura and Syaoran walked in, everyone looked up and gaped up at them. There was the quiet, cold Li Syaoran with a nervous grin on his face and the bubbly Sakura with an even wider grin then any of her others.

"Ohayo!" Sakura said happily as she dragged Syaoran in the room with her towards Eriol and Tomoyo. She finally let go of his arm and turned to face them. "Presenting, the new Li Syaoran!"

Syaoran shrugged slightly with a sheepish grin on his face. "Uh…Ohayo…"

Eriol nearly fell off his chair in surprise and Tomoyo's face showed pure shock and was frozen in her place.

"I know!" Sakura exclaimed, her eyes glittering. "Doesn't Syaoran look cute with a smile on his face, Tomoyo?" Sakura beamed so much that she looked happier than usual.

Tomoyo recovered from her shock and smiled brightly. "Yeah! Li-kun, you should really smile more often."

Sakura nudged him with her elbow as he stood there nervously. "See? I told ya!"

He just shrugged slightly with the same small grin on his face.

Sakura laughed as she saw Eriol just staring at him in surprise. "Eriol-kun! You okay?" she went over to him and waved her hand in front of his face to snap him out of it."

Eriol smiled. "I'm fine. It's just…weird."

Sakura laughed and they continued their small conversation. Syaoran took that time while she was busy talking to Eriol to glance over at her. He couldn't help it. Wow, he couldn't help a lot of things today. But the way she smiled, the way her laughter always brightened her emerald orbs even more, the way she always brightened everyone's day, just everything about her made him smile. He had no idea why though. Was that why he was smiling today? Remembering back a few minutes ago, she had called him her 'best friend' and asked him to go to the amusement park with her and he had suddenly felt the urge to smile. Was it because he never had a best friend before? Or maybe it was because no one had ever asked him to go anywhere with them. Oh well. Who cares? It just simply made him smile to see her.

Tomoyo, being as observant as she was, watched the smiling Syaoran in front of her. She almost couldn't believe it. A couple of days ago he had been the coldest person in Tomoeda and now he was smiling? Then she saw him glance at none other than Sakura who was busy talking to Eriol. It was then that she realized why he was smiling. She could see it simply by looking at Li's eyes when he looked at Sakura. Tomoyo smiled to herself. He didn't realize it yet, but he was slowly falling for the Card Mistress. Seems like Sakura _was_ he right person to change him after all. And maybe Eriol's theory was actually right!

Syaoran suddenly became aware of someone watching him and he quickly tore his gaze from Sakura. Daidouji's amethyst eyes were set on him and she had a small, knowing smile on her lips. Syaoran's cheeks became bright red as he realized that she knew he was staring at Sakura. But luckily for him, that was the exact time that the sensei came in and ordered everyone to their seats.

-

Walking slowly, the Li Leader carried his school bag by the handle slung lazily on his shoulder. He had too much to think about. But it wasn't the usual thoughts that you'd think. He wasn't thinking of his father or the clan. No. None of these. In fact, he was thinking of the last thing you'd ever think he'd think about. Ever since this morning he's had this weird feeling towards the Card Mistress. Was her aura attracting him? Or was he simply just imagining things?

He sighed as he trudged towards his empty apartment. He hadn't talked to her since this morning. He grew nervous every time that she was near! It was hard to talk to her for some reason now! If only he knew what was wrong. But for now, all he could do was cover his emotions by using some of his magic like at the time at the 'Trail's Trials'. He'd have to work at it more if he was to cover these emotions for a long time though. Oh well, he just definitely didn't want to let Sakura know.

Suddenly a tap on his shoulder scared him out of his wit and he practically jumped. He turned and saw that it was none other then Sakura, Daidouji, and Hiiragazawa. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed either Sakura's or Hiiragazawa's auras!

"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura said happily. She had been the one to tap his shoulder and was wondering why he hadn't felt her aura. In fact, he'd been a little out of it today. He hadn't even had lunch with them. Maybe something happened?

"Y-Yeah?" he answered, his voice cracking in nervousness a bit.

Sakura faked a pout. "We were looking all over for you! Eriol even tried to call your cell but you didn't pick up."

Syaoran dug into his pocket for a second and pulled out a nice, expensive looking cellphone. "This?"

Sakura's eyes brightened. "Wow! That looks really nice! Why don't you ever use it?"

He shrugged shortly. No one ever called him anyway. "Most of the time only clan business matters contact me on this phone but seeing that I'm in Japan, I didn't think it would matter if I keep it on…"

Sakura smiled. "Well now Tomoyo, Eriol, and I are gonna contact you a lot now? Got that? So keep it on!"

Syaoran blushed lightly. "O-Okay."

Sakura looked at the cellphone with amazed eyes. "May I see it? I'll put in my number too…that is…if you want it." She blushed, realizing that she sounded like a complete fool.

But that wasn't what Syaoran thought at all. In fact, his heart was jumping out of its place when he handed her the small phone.

Sakura smiled. "Kawaii!" She held the flip phone open in her hands as her nimble fingers pressed the buttons rapidly, her eyes scanning the colored screen with awe. Her cellphone was completely boring compared to his.

She heard Eriol and Syaoran bickering a bit – something about Syaoran being loaded with money – as she roamed around the cell, curious at what he had in there. She was kind of disappointed. He had no other phone numbers saved in his phone except two. One was entitled "home," while the other was called "office." After saving her number in it, she decided to leave a small note in his "Notes" section. Satisfied, she handed the cellphone back to Syaoran just when Tomoyo had stopped the two from arguing any further by saying that Eriol was pretty rich himself too.

"Anyway Syaoran-kun, c'mon let's go!" Sakura said, a smile on her face.

Syaoran looked at her in confusion for a moment and Sakura giggled.

"You forgot, Syaoran-kun? We were going to the amusement park right after school but we couldn't find you. C'mon! I'm so excited. I didn't go there yet," she replied with a wide grin.

"Oh…okay…"

-

"WAI! A roller coaster!" Sakura yelled in delight. They had arrived at the amusement park and were now standing under a huge, loopy red coaster. Feeling a breeze as the cart came by, they could hear the delighted and frightened screams of the people on it.

"And we're riding on _this_?" Syaoran asked his voice deepening.

Tomoyo grinned. "Don't tell me you have never ridden in one," she said, her voice teasing.

"I've seen them!" Syaoran defended. He wasn't some kind of hermit who didn't know these kinds of stuff! "I-I just never really…been on one."

Eriol chuckled. "Nice save."

"Shut up."

Sakura smiled as she took her friends' hands. "Well, there's a first time for everything, right Syaoran-kun? Let's go!"

They followed the jumpy Sakura, waiting patiently on the line; Syaoran however was one of the mote impatient ones.

"You nervous or something?" Eriol asked with a smirk.

"Shut up."

"Oh you guys, stop fighting," Tomoyo said, although being pretty amused. "We're getting on!"

Sakura was practically jumping. "I heard that this was the scariest, fastest, greatest ride in Japan!" she squealed as she and her friends reached the start of the line where people were getting seated inside the coaster.

It was then that Syaoran felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had never ridden on a roller coaster before, and now he was about to get on the scariest and fastest coaster in Japan! Was he crazy! But before he could say that he was going to sit this ride out, Sakura's eyes turned to his with a small, teasing smile on her lips.

"Are you scared, Syaoran-kun?"

Syaoran frowned. Dammit. She had felt his feelings! No way could he say that he was nervous now. He would look like a complete fool! Sighing, he shook his head. But before he could utter a word out of his mouth, Sakura had pulled him onto the ride so that they were seated together. Eriol and Tomoyo followed, sitting behind the two with wide smirks on their faces.

But who could blame them for smirking? In fact, they had to contain themselves from laughing. Syaoran was pale and trembling a bit, but had a determined look on his face while Sakura told him more frightening things about roller coaster, teasing him and causing him to become even more nervous. Sakura knew that he was afraid, and was only teasing him, but they knew that Syaoran was probably scared out of his wits by now.

Eriol leaned towards Tomoyo. "He's looking a bit pale, don't you think?" he said softly. He didn't want Syaoran and Sakura to hear them after all.

Tomoyo nodded. "Another thing I'd never think I'd ever see him doing." She smiled. "That's the second strange thing from him today."

Eriol nodded. "When I saw him…I don't know…I just couldn't believe it. My face was probably hilarious at that moment."

Tomoyo giggled. "It was."

The sorcerer pouted a bit and then gave another small smile, his azure eyes burning through her amethyst ones. "He was _smiling_, Tomoyo…something I thought he would never do again…"

She just smiled back serenely as they stared at each other for a bit more. Eriol was happy. She was so glad to see him like this. He had been worrying for much too long than she liked and he barely smiled like this anymore; a smile that was so content yet so captivating that it made her heart skip many beats. She loved it when he was like this; no more a sorcerer, no more worrying and tense, just a content regular teen like she wanted him to be. All she wanted was him to be happy and to wear that smile on his face all the time…was that too much to ask for? Why must he be such a concerned, worrying friend all the time? But she knew that that's one of the many things she loved about him. He didn't care about himself…only for others. She barely thought of how he was the great Clow Reed's reincarnation. But still…she couldn't deny the fact that he _was_. If she was to tell him...would he care? After all, he's had so many experiences and who knows, maybe Clow had some secret love relationship before and Eriol would want that girl. Tomoyo wished that Eriol would love her back. If only that could happen…

"Oh," Tomoyo whispered with a short giggle as she thought about how she'd been thinking about him a lot lately. She sounded like a teen that had some kind of obsession! But it wasn't. She wasn't just obsessed. She was in love.

Eriol gave a bigger smile, their eyes not parting from each other. He didn't want this to stop. He never wanted to stop staring into those sweet amethyst pools of hers that he could just get lost in. "What's with the giggle?" he asked.

Tomoyo leaned in even closer to his face causing them to be only an inch away. Eriol's breath caught in his throat as she grew closer. Who in their right minds would blame him? After all, she was beautiful, smart, talented; a true angel from heaven. She gave him a small amused smile, but just as she opened her mouth to speak, they heard Sakura's laughter. "I'll tell you later, Eriol," Tomoyo said as they both turned to the two teens seated in front of them.

Sakura was laughing but at the same time was apologizing to the fear stricken boy next to her. "Gomen! Gomen!"

Syaoran had been ready to stand up from his seat after all those roller coaster stories. He was pale as ever and he couldn't take it anymore. "N-No! I'm leaving!"

But before another word was spoken and before he could get out of the fear coaster, the safety bars were automatically pulled over them, not allowing them to move. Syaoran's expression was stricken in fear as he stiffly sat there.

Eriol and Tomoyo were holding in their laughter as Sakura was trying to calm the boy down while giggling here and there along the way.

"Syaoran-kun," Sakura said, confining her laughter as much as possible. "Gomen! Don't worry, it'll over before you know it!"

Syaoran was still stiff as ever, gripping onto the bars until his knuckles turned white. "I-I'm gonna kill you if I survive this, Kinomoto!"

It was then that the carriage they were in started to move. Sakura's expression saddened. He called her 'Kinomoto' again. She didn't want that! The girl immediately felt truly guilty of scaring him as he gripped onto the bar tighter.

Syaoran felt her deep regret inside him and turned to her. Shit. He just realized that he had hurt her by calling her by her last name again. "Sorry, I didn't mean that," he said quickly.

She gave him a tiny smile, but a smile none the less. "It doesn't matter. Sorry I scared you. It was just really funny. But still, I'm sorry."

He shivered as the roller coaster started up a ramp…a _very_ high ramp. "It d-doesn't matter now…I'm gonna die…"

Sakura giggled a bit. "No you won't! Besides I'm here for ya."

Before he knew it he felt her small, warm hand slide over his. His heart beat fast as he turned to the girl seated fairly close to him. On his face was an expression of true confusion. Why did he sudden feel so different when she touched him? But before he could clear the things in his mind, they had suddenly plunged down the roller coaster tracks. He heard her squeal of pure excitement and he felt his stomach lurching. All around him, screams of fright or excitement was heard as he stayed silent just watching as the ground seemed to come nearer while his stomach felt like it was floating. They were going…at such a fast speed. It was such a frightening experience that when Sakura suddenly grabbed onto his arm, he almost didn't notice. _Almost_.

-

"Whew! I'm pooped," Sakura said as she collapsed on a seat in the food court. "Those rides were so much fun though!"

Tomoyo nodded, taking the seat next to hers. "I liked the Loop the Loop," she said, referring to the huge ride where the riders were swung around in a full circle. Then she giggled. "I bet Li-kun's favorite was the roller coaster!"

Eriol's laughter joined hers. "You were having a blast on that ride, Syaoran."

Of course, the two sly teens had seen what happened during the ride and now they were teasing him about it.

Syaoran turned bright red. "Sh-Shut up!" Wow, he seemed to be saying that a lot today especially to a certain, annoying Clow Reed reincarnation. Eriol just laughed.

Sakura was the only one who was confused. "I thought Syaoran was scared out of his wits?" she said, blinking.

"Don't listen to them," Syaoran said with an angry grunt. Tomoyo and Eriol laughed.

Sakura shrugged and suddenly heard her stomach grumble. They had spent all that time on rides that they hadn't eaten since school ended. She was really hungry and that grumbling was the proof. She blushed in embarrassment as her friends laughed.

"You should eat," Syaoran suggested. "No reason in starving yourself." Then he dug into his pocket to take out a brown leather wallet.

Sakura immediately jumped. "N-No! Don't you dare!" she cried as she pushed his hands which held the wallet away. "I-I can pay for it myself!" she laughed nervously.

Syaoran shook his head as he stood up, his wallet still in hand. "No really, it's okay. I–"

"No! I'll pay myself!" Sakura said quickly. Then with a smile she added, "Oh! I'll treat everyone to some ice cream!"

Before Syaoran or anyone else can protest, she had left the three teens behind, looking around for an ice cream stand.

Syaoran sat down and raised an eyebrow in confusion which Eriol and Tomoyo saw.

"Sakura hates letting people buy things for her," Tomoyo said cheerfully. "She's kind of…well…independent when it comes to spending money."

Eriol nodded in agreement. "So unless it's a birthday present or some kind of holiday, she won't accept presents that easily. Don't be surprised with that kind of behavior from her."

"Why though? I wouldn't mind spending my money for her," Syaoran said without thinking. Realizing what he said he turned crimson and he nervously stuttered. "I-I mean…well...I-I…" He watched Eriol and Tomoyo grin and he moaned in frustration. Here we go with the teasing.

But surprisingly, they didn't tease or joke. They looked at each other for a moment as if there were some kind of telepathic agreement between them and then turned to Syaoran with a serious but serene smile on each of their faces. "What? No teasing?" he muttered. "Must be a trick."

"Li-kun," Tomoyo said calmly, "We couldn't help but notice something."

Syaoran immediately grew stiff. Did they know? He had wanted to talk to someone about this, but…it was making him nervous by talking about it. Even _thinking_ about it made him anxious. "Wh-What?" he stuttered.

"You tell us what," Eriol replied as calmly as the girl next to him, "What do you think about Tomoeda?"

"I-It's fine…really…different."

Eriol continued. "So, we've noticed you've been making friends quite easily here."

Syaoran looked away with a slight blush on his cheeks. "W-Well…I don't know."

"Li-kun, you want us to get straight to the point don't you?" Tomoyo said with a short giggle.

Syaoran nodded. "Please do." Although he already knew what was to come.

"Syaoran," Eriol said, a serious expression on his face but with a small, knowing smile. "What do you think of Sakura?"

-

Sakura walked around the vicinity, looking for an ice cream stand when she found a white one with a huge, fake ice cream cone on top. As she got on line behind some people who were craving for some cold ice cream, she felt as if a nervous feeling shot up her spine. That was weird. "Syaoran-kun?" she whispered.

"Miss?" She was so startled from the voice that she jumped. She didn't notice that she was the next one on line. The person at the ice cream vendor smiled. He was an old man, balding, but with a friendly grin on his face. "Hey there, miss. Looks like you got out of your reverie there."

Sakura blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry."

"It's okay, miss. Looks like you were thinking about someone pretty important since you were just staring off into space like that," he said, smiling.

Sakura shrugged, an embarrassed grin on her lips. "I guess. He's _is_ a pretty special person, actually. He can do everything and he's really smart. He's also the talk of the school I go to right now. Well, all the girls like him," she replied. The man was really friendly, she didn't think it would be wrong to talk to him for a while.

"Wow, he sounds pretty popular. So why are you daydreaming about this boy?"

Sakura sighed. It was hard to explain, especially when she couldn't talk about the _connection_ thing. "Well to put it simply, it seems like he's feeling…nervous or anxious or something. And whenever he's near me…he's just…weird. I don't know. Don't ask why or how, but I just can feel that whenever he's around me, he just acts really different."

The old man leaned on his cart, getting interested. "Like how different?"

Sakura put her finger to her chin in thought. "Like, jittery? And he gets all…_red_."

That was when the man laughed. He knew exactly what was going on. "Oh! Is that it? Well then miss, you have nothing to worry about."

Her emerald pools lit up. "Really?"

With a smile, he nodded. "Trust me."

Sakura let out a breath of relief. She had been worried. "I though I did something wrong…"

"Sounds like you really like him, miss." The man had a hinting smile on his face but as dense as Sakura was, she didn't catch it.

Sakura smiled. "Yup! He's _really_ nice! I wish I could get to know him better."

The vendor laughed a short laugh. "Oh I meant that you liked him as a – never mind, miss," he said. "So what would you like?"

Laughing, she looked at the menu of different flavors. She had forgotten that she had come here for ice cream! But wow, talking to the vendor really relaxed her. She thought that she had done something terrible or that the teases during the roller coaster ride had made him angry. Since then, he hadn't called her by her first name. Were they going back to last name basis again? "I'll have one strawberry cone, a vanilla cone, a cookies 'n cream cone, and…uhh…" Oh no! She didn't know what Syaoran liked! "Oh my gosh…I don't know what Syaoran wants!" she exclaimed a saddening expression covering her face. What if she got him something that he didn't want? That would make him even angrier at her!

The old man patted her shoulder as he took out the flavors that she wanted. "Hmm…I have an idea, miss. They say that you'll know exactly what a person likes by just clearing your mind. Then think of that person and what kind of ice cream flavor he would like and then the first thing that pops into your head should be what he would want," he said.

Sakura thought for awhile, clearing her head. That was pretty easy since she had to do that a lot for the Sakura Cards. Then she thought about him, his handsome face, his personality and before she knew it she had uttered a flavor from her mouth without even hearing what it was.

"Chocolate it is!" Without a minute to waste, he was handing each cone to her. With a smile he added. "With an extra scoop for each!"

Sakura beamed. "Arigatou!" But then as she went to fish her money out of her pocket she sweat dropped. She couldn't get the money! "Hoee…"

The old man laughed heartily. "It's okay, miss. It's on the house!"

"B-But…"

"Now, now. Just think of it as a present for talking to an old man like me," he said with a smile. "Now go on. I bet that Syaoran boy and your other friends are waiting."

"But…"

"Go on, then!"

Sakura sighed. The man was persistent. "A-Arigato, sir!" she exclaimed and with one last exchange of smiles, she walked off towards her friends again.

-

"What do you mean?" Syaoran whispered, turning even redder at Eriol's question.

Immediately, Eriol and Tomoyo knew that it was true at the sound of his changed tone. "Li-kun," Tomoyo said gently. "I think it's kind of obvious."

"Wh-What is!" he cried, suddenly jumping out of his seat. "You _know_ what's happening to me, Daidouji-san?"

Eriol and Tomoyo were surprised at his reply. "You mean," Eriol said, "You don't know what's wrong with you?"

"No!" Syaoran said as he plopped down into his seat again. "It's annoying as hell! Sh-She's just…just…" he struggled for the right word.

"Sakura?" Tomoyo suggested.

Syaoran nodded. "Yeah! I don't know what the hell is wrong with me!" he exclaimed, his feelings pouring out like a river. "Sh-She seems to haunt my mind! I feel so nervous and jittery when she's near, I start smiling whenever she laughs, my heart starts beating when she touches me, I catch myself looking at her…I-I don't know what's wrong with me! H-Her eyes, her smile, I can't seem to get rid of her image in my mind. My heart starts filling up with this weird, warm feeling and…ugh!" He covered his face with his hands in complete frustration. "And I can't let her know it. For some reason I just _know_ that she can't know. It would feel…embarrassing. You know how hard it is to hide this from her? I bet she already knows!" he groaned. "This stupid _bond_ thing…"

Eriol patted Syaoran's back, a slight smile on his face. Of course Syaoran wouldn't know what was happening to him. Confining himself and ignoring others didn't exactly let him experience any crushes or things like that. Glancing at Tomoyo he saw her nod. "Syaoran," Eriol said, "We think we know what's wrong."

Syaoran's head immediately shot up. "Wh-What is it! Tell me!"

Tomoyo gently reached out and touched his arm. "Don't worry, _nothing_ is wrong with you."

"Then why am I feeling this way? Is it because that I'm attracted to her aura?"

Tomoyo and Eriol shook their heads.

"Dude, you're falling for her," Eriol said.

Syaoran stood up, knocking down the chair behind him. "Wh-What do you mean!" he demanded, his voice rising.

"Li-kun, it's no big deal! You just seem to have feelings for Sakura," Tomoyo said. "_Intimate_ feelings."

Syaoran shook his head vigorously. "No way! Why would I! This is ridiculous!" But was it true? Was this what they called 'first crush'? He had heard it a thousand times from his chatty sisters but never before had he given it any thought. He had always thought that crushes were a waste of time by the way his sisters described it. They had sounded like chattering monkeys just talking and sighing and acting like complete fools. "No! That's stupid! Absolutely no!" he exclaimed loudly, causing some heads to turn.

"Li-kun! Calm down!" Tomoyo said, trying to calm the poor guy down. He just didn't understand. He didn't seem to know what was happening to him. But for some reason, the way he talked about her didn't seem like just _feelings_. Not like a crush that Tomoyo had thought he had on Sakura. It sounded…deeper…more passionate. Were crushes like that?

"Syaoran, it's not abnormal or anything!" Eriol exclaimed. "Feeling attractions for the opposite sex always happens."

It was then that Syaoran stopped yelling and just looked at the ground, his eyes unwavering from it which surprised the other two teens. "A-Attractions?" he whispered softly that Eriol and Tomoyo almost couldn't hear him. "I-I don't think that's what's wrong with me. I-It's deeper than some _attraction_. It's…I can't explain it." He looked up, his eyes piercing straight through Eriol's azure ones. "Hiiragazawa…this doesn't seem to be a simple crush or attraction. I don't know why."

Eriol raised a confused eyebrow as Tomoyo looked at the scene silently. "What do you mean, Syaoran?"

His amber gaze didn't leave Eriol's eyes. "A crush…or an attraction…seems…less than what I feel. I've heard my sisters talk about it. I don't think that this is what I'm feeling for this girl."

"I don't understand."

Syaoran sighed. "To put it simply, whenever I think of…my father…my heart seems to grow cold and painful. And since Sakura can feel what I feel, she always feels that pain that fills me when I think…about my past." His eyes seemed to pierce through the other boy's eyes. "I saw her once…in pain. It was because I had been thinking all those lonely thoughts again. She was physically cringing! I don't know why, but seeing her like that…I wanted to kill myself for causing that! So I tried to find something, _anything_, that was happy and that would stop her from feeling the hurt. I couldn't find any."

Tomoyo and Eriol were silent at this pause.

"But then I thought about _her_. How I had talked to her the day before and how everything had seemed so…right. She's the first one whom I had talked to so openly." He gulped, trembling a bit. "Can crushes or attractions stop your heart from hurting?"

Eriol's eyes widened as he saw Tomoyo bring a hand to cover her mouth. This was _no_ simple crush! These were the feelings…that a person would feel if they were in lo–

"Hey you guys!" Sakura said happily as she walked up to them holding four cones of ice cream. "What you talking about?"

"Sakura! There you are!" Tomoyo said as she was handed her vanilla cone. "We were waiting for you." She was trying so hard to hide the surprise in her voice.

"Th-Thanks a lot, Sakura," Eriol said as he got his cookies 'n cream cone. He was still shocked by what his friend had said. Never before had he heard him talk so deeply, so intimately about someone.

Sakura handed Syaoran his cone but noticed that he was pale and trembling and also that he was feeling extremely shaken right now. "Syaoran-kun? Are you okay?"

He looked at those emerald pools staring up at him in worry and he nodded. "I-I'm fine." Then looking at his cone he was surprised to see that it was chocolate.

Sakura saw his surprised expression and sighed. "I didn't know what flavor you wanted. I just felt like you would like chocolate for some reason. I'm sorry," she said, her face falling.

Syaoran shook his head and he momentarily forgot all about what had just happened as he felt his mouth curve into a small smile. "No, no! I'm just surprised because…you seemed to know my favorite flavor when I didn't even tell you, Sakura."

Sakura's eyes glittered as she heard him say his first name again and before anyone knew it, she had jumped into his arms in delight.

"Sakura?" Syaoran asked, his face turning red again. "What's wrong?"

Sakura shook her head, the smile returning to her face again. "Nothing."

-

Syaoran entered his empty, dim room and tossed his school bag aside carelessly. They had left the park and now he was alone in his humble, lonely abode again. Sighing, he collapsed onto his bed, thinking about a particular emerald eyed girl. His mind was tired from trying to think up answers to his problem and just thinking about the girl seemed to put stress on him. He groaned. He still had to practice hiding his emotions from her. Deciding that he would do that later, he picked up his school bag and opened it. Right on top, he saw his cellphone, a blinking green light emitting from the top. It was turned on for once. He smiled as he picked it up, remembering what Sakura had said about keeping it on from now on. He flipped it open and pushed some buttons, wondering what he had in this old thing. He had actually forgotten about it until Sakura had brought up the subject. Going into his cellphone phone book, he saw Sakura's name and number there and smiled. He got the sudden urge to call her, to just hear her voice but he quickly exited the place and found himself in the 'Notes' area. His amber eyes widened as he read the unfamiliar note that was left on his cellphone.

_"Syaoran-kun! i'm so proud of u 2day! u were smilin like there was no 2morrow! haha! don't worry, i'm not makin fun of u. just smile more often ok? as i said before, u look really cute when u smile! i luv ya 'new best friend.' –sakura"_

Syaoran dropped the phone to the floor where it collided safely on the carpeted floor. He was deathly stiff as he just stared at the phone which lay on the floor completely still. The boy sat on the edge of his bed, trying to regain his composure after reading the note. It was such a small note, but for some reason, it just meant so much to him.

"Dammit Sakura!" he yelled, his voice echoing off the walls. He held his head in his hands in confusion. "Wh-What did you do to me?"

**TO BE CONTINUED **


	10. Rain Brings Surprises

**Tied By Fate  
By: **pnaixrose

**Disclaimer:** I don't own, so please don't sue.

* * *

**Chapter 10:** Rain Brings Surprises

A few days passed since Syaoran's...discovery on his odd feelings. Those few days seemed like eternity to him. He didn't know what the hell was wrong with him. He had no one to ask and no one to talk to about this. Eriol and Tomoyo were out of the picture. Ever since they had that talk at the amusement park, they had been oddly different around him. They weren't ignoring him or anything; it just felt as if they were keeping a secret from him or as if they knew something that he didn't know. But it was okay. He had to figure this out himself anyway. He's too stubborn and proud to go around asking what he was feeling. It was _his_ feelings. He should know what it meant. Besides, it would be horribly embarrassing if anyone else knew what this was. The note that she had left on his cell phone was embarrassing enough. He still hadn't opened it since then. It lay immobile on his coffee table, and it was going stay like that.

But luckily for him, the days that had passed since the amusement park had not been in vain. As he desperately tried to figure out what his emotions were, he had practiced over and over again to use that shield that hid his feelings from Sakura. He didn't even have to concentrate like the first time anymore. It was almost as if it was permanently there. He even kept the shield up when he slept for fear that he would think about her in his dreams. Not that he _did_ sleep these days. His mind was too confused, too full with thoughts of her. He was frustrated and angry. What the hell was he feeling? Why had it come so suddenly? And whatever this feeling was, why in the world did it have to be _her_?

He did know one thing. He couldn't let her know about it.

Also, since two days ago, it's been raining nonstop. It only added a dreary atmosphere to his rather anxiousness. Hearing the rain pattering outside against the closed windows, he remembered something that Wei always said when rain came.

_"The showers bring uncertainty, but always end with a surprise."_

And right now it seemed absolutely right; well, the 'uncertainty' part anyway. He didn't exactly get his surprise yet. And he kind of didn't want to.

-

He stared straight ahead from his assigned seat; straight into the girl's honey brown hair; the hair that belonged to none other than the girl who's been plaguing his mind. Damn the teacher who assigned him here. Now aside from worrying and contemplating on his little 'problem,' he has to stare straight into her head! He couldn't wait until his next class. There, he could relax at least a bit.

"Psst.."

He broke out of his trance and looked around in confusion and found out the Four-Eyes was calling him. "What do _you_ want?" he hissed. "Shouldn't you be listening to the sensei?"

Eriol shrugged, a smirk playing at his lips. He had been observing Syaoran for a while now and found that it was exceptionally amusing. Just think, the courageous, serious, smart Li Leader didn't know what his feelings were for the Card Mistress! He knew four certain giggly, hyper women who'd love to hear what's been going on in their little brother's life! But he decided against it. Instead, he settled to teasing him a bit. "You aren't listening to the lesson," Eriol retorted. "Figure it out yet?"

Syaoran glared at him suspiciously. Hiiragazawa knew what was going on. And now, he was boasting about it, knowing it would anger him. Ha! Well, Syaoran wouldn't give him that satisfaction. "Mind your own business, Hiiragazawa. Go listen to the lecture," he growled, looking straight ahead.

"Well, being reincarnated from a fairly old man, I'm afraid that I already hold much of this knowledge," Eriol whispered. "And stop changing the subject. Did you figure it out yet or not?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Syaoran said, pretending to ignore him.

Eriol, his interest fully on Syaoran now, smirked wider. "You're as stubborn as a mule, you know?"

Syaoran gave a slight snort but stayed silent, hoping that this would end the conversation. Unfortunately, it didn't.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Syaoran," Eriol said. "I can't believe that you're clueless. You know, Tomoyo and I have an inkling on what it is." Eriol's eyes seemed to glitter with amusement. "Care to listen?"

"No!" Syaoran hissed. "I want you _and_ Daidouji-san to stay away from me."

Eriol frowned." Now, now. I understand why you want _me_ to stay away from you, but why sweet Tomoyo?"

At this, Tomoyo who sat in front of Eriol turned her head slightly to listen. "You know, you guys don't whisper all that well."

Syaoran groaned again. What an annoying pair! "Because you two are exactly the same: nosy and strange."

Tomoyo giggled. "Aw Li-kun," she said. "We didn't mean to annoy you."

Eriol turned to her with a big smile. "We didn't?"

Syaoran groaned again. "Would you guys just please _go away_!"

"Now Syaoran, keep your voice down and be a good, little boy. Maybe then we'd tell you what you need to know about _Sakura_."

Syaoran gave him a venomous glare. Hiiragazawa had put so much emphasis on her name and spoke it fairly louder. It was a miracle that Sakura hadn't heard. "Why you–"

"Hoe?"

Syaoran felt the blood run to his cheeks as he saw that he wasn't staring at the back of her head anymore. She had turned around probably because of the baka's loudness.

"What about me?" Sakura asked densely. She had just been trying hard to listen to the teacher's words when suddenly she heard someone say her name. And of course, as curious as she was, she turned around.

Eriol smiled a sweet but evil smile at her. "Why hello, Sakura. Nice of you to join our little conversation."

"Yup," agreed Tomoyo. "Don't you think so, Li-kun?"

Sakura stared at them curiously. They both had big, innocent grins on their faces but when she turned to look at Syaoran, he had a nervous look on his face and was avoiding eye contact. Her eyebrow raised in confusion. "Hoe? Umm...okay."

Then she realized something. If Syaoran was feeling nervous – which was obvious he was– why hadn't she felt anything? Why hadn't she felt that growing anxiousness inside her? Actually, she hadn't been receiving any feelings from him in a few days now. She just hadn't noticed it until now. This was weird. And something strange was going on.

Regaining his ability to talk, Syaoran frowned. "Y-You guys should listen to the teacher. We'll get into trouble."

"Since when did you care about getting into trouble?" Tomoyo asked. "I always thought that you were the kind of guy who got into trouble all the time. No offense."

"I'm not some kind of..._bad_ boy. But I'm no goody-goody either!" he defended.

"Oh yes you are," Eriol corrected. "I remember once when you were young, Wei told us not to touch the cookies that he baked. And when I took one and asked you if you wanted one, you said no." Laughter twinkled in his azure eyes. He loved recalling all these embarrassing memories.

"How would you know that I just didn't want cookies?" Syaoran retorted.

"They were _chocolate chip cookies_. Your favorite."

Sakura and Tomoyo giggled and Syaoran glared at them with an embarrassed look on his face. "Syaoran-kun, I'm sorry. I just never saw you as the cookie-eating type," Sakura said in between giggles.

"You four in the corner!" a voice boomed.

Sakura and Tomoyo whipped around quickly to face the front but it was already too late. Their sensei had caught them in the act.

"Mind telling us what's so funny? I reckon it's more important than your education because you are absolutely not listening." He gave them all a stern look. But it was the class's atmosphere that was scary. Everything was silent. Not even the constant rain outside seemed to make a noise at the moment. No one dared to speak back to this teacher when he was angry. And by the way his face was turning red and the tight frown on his lips, they knew that he was definitely angry. When the teens didn't answer, the teacher added, "Well?"

"G-Gomen," Sakura mumbled, looking at him guiltily. "It won't happen again."

"It better not," he replied curtly, "or else you'll have to stay for detention next time."

-

Tomoyo gazed longingly out the window. It felt kind of depressing and saddening today because of that rain. But she also knew it was because of the problem between Sakura and Li. Li was beating himself inside, trying to find some kind of answer in his head of his feelings for her. It kind of made her guilty actually. She and Eriol knew exactly what it was. But it was too important to just blurt out. Besides, Li should really find out by himself.

Wait. Maybe they _should_ tell him. Maybe just hint it to him or something. Tomoyo almost sighed aloud. How in the world can you hint that kind of thing? How can you bring up something like that in a conversation? They couldn't just say, _'Oh by the way, we think you're in love with Sakura.'_

Maybe Eriol would think of something.

Sighing again, she longed for lunch to come. But it was still some classes away. Then, remembering what had happened in her last class where she, Sakura, Li, and Eriol sat near each other, she gave a bit of a giggle. Fun times can come when you least expect it can't they?

Suddenly a small folded piece of paper found its way to her desk somehow and she looked around curiously. She saw Eriol, the only one of her close friends in this class, a seat diagonal from her. He looked up and gave her a quick grin. Smiling back, she turned to the front again and opened the folded paper.

_'You're sighing way too much, my precious. Something on your mind?'_

Tomoyo let out a quick, quiet laugh. Grabbing her pen, she wrote:

_'You tease too much, Eriol. But yeah, something is on my mind...'_

After he had gotten the message on the paper, she found it on her desk again.

_'Oh yeah? Someone as pretty as you shouldn't have so many worries.'_

Tomoyo smiled. Eriol flirts too much. But hey, she wasn't complaining! She was growing exceptionally close to him these days. He was fun to be around and he always made her smile; even on _paper_! She realized that she liked him a couple of weeks ago at the Trail's Trials. But that time with him hadn't been so well. Remembering it, she frowned. Again she repeated the question that she had at the Trail's Trials in her mind. Was it okay to love him? Was it right to love Clow Reed's reincarnation?

But before she knew it, she received another note.

_'...You should look at what your heart tells you. But I say...yes. It's quite all right to love _ _Clow_ _Reed__'s reincarnation. I mean, he's not exactly _ _Clow_ _Reed__. And after all, Eriol is Eriol, ne?'_

Her amethyst eyes widened. He had known exactly what she was thinking. But she turned around to see him but he looked deeply involved in the page in the book they were supposed to be reading. She smiled, turning to face front. He was right. Eriol was Eriol.

She began turning red. He knew! He knew how she felt! How the heck! Oh the embarrassment was just too much. Then looking down at her desk, she found yet another note. How in the world were these popping out of nowhere?

_'You can ask me all the questions you want later. Besides I need to talk to you too. But, we have a little matter in our hands: Syaoran.'_

_'You have a plan?'_

_'Honestly, no I don't. My mind is all muddled. I can't think of one damn thing!'_

_'We can try talking to him, Eriol. That way, you won't have to use any magic.'_

She was still worried that if Eriol _does_ try anything, he'd use magic. And we all know what happened last time. He fainted. Due to the fact that he gave a lot of his magic to Sakura's father, he'd have to use up his own energy to make up for the lost magic to cast any hard spells. Tomoyo definitely did not want that to happen again. She had been so worried.

_'Maybe you're right. And hey, maybe Syaoran will actually do something right and realize it for himself! ...ha. I doubt that though.'_

-

"That teacher's so mean," Sakura muttered as she walked with her three friends. It was lunchtime now and they decided to eat together again like they've been doing for past couple of days.

"Just be happy we didn't get detention," Syaoran said as they sat at an empty table. They had to sit inside today to avoid getting soaked in the rain. "We shouldn't have been talking though."

Tomoyo, who was sitting next to him while the other two sat across from them, nudged him playfully with her elbow. "Well it seems that our Li-kun _is_ a goody-goody," she said giggling.

Syaoran glared at the three laughing people he always seemed to be with these days. "Shut up. No I'm not." Then he grudgingly took out his lunch and chopsticks.

"What were you guys talking about anyway?" Sakura asked. "I just heard my name and I just turned around."

Tomoyo sweetly smiled as Syaoran grew rigid in his seat. Eriol tried to contain his laughter. "Oh it's nothing. Sakura," Tomoyo said. "We were just babbling."

Sakura shrugged even though she still had an inkling that something was going on. Eh, maybe it was just her imagination. Besides, something else was on her mind. She stared at the boy across from her, fidgeting around and staring straight into his lunch like it were the most interesting thing on earth. He _looked _nervous. He looked _really_ nervous. Why didn't she feel anything from him? Was he hiding his feelings from her somehow? She distinctly remembers the time at the entrance of the Trail's Trials where he looked deeply troubled but she hadn't felt any emotions emitting from him. She hadn't given it any thought probably because she was hanging out with Yukito-san. But now that she thought about it, it seemed that he was hiding his emotions from her after all.  
She tore her gaze away from the boy and looked down at her lunch in a daze. Her heart sank. She had thought that they had really been getting closer. But she was probably wrong. After all, for the past few days all he's been doing was staring off somewhere and avoiding eye contact with her. Had she done something? Was he still mad about the roller coaster incident at the amusement park? Had he just covered his emotions up because he didn't trust her?  
Wait. She was overreacting. Of course he would shield his feelings. Everyone needed their privacy. But still...

Syaoran looked at the suddenly quiet girl, abandoning his gaze at his lunch. Even though he had shielded his feelings from her, he could feel _her_s as vivid as ever. He looked at her carefully, while feeling her sadness welling up inside him.

Meanwhile Tomoyo gave a quick blush as she realized that she was staring at Eriol. The notes. He hasn't mentioned it ever since. What does he have to tell her anyway?

Sakura noticed Tomoyo's odd faces she was making and momentarily forgot about Syaoran. "Tomoyo? You look kind of flushed," she said curiously.

Syaoran looked at her too while Eriol just smiled. "Maybe she has an important man in her mind," Eriol said.

Tomoyo looked at him wearily and in embarrassment. But he just returned her gaze with a soft, gentle smile. He wasn't making fun of her. He was being serious.

Sakura's mouth dropped. "Really? Tomoyo! You haven't told me anything!" she cried. "Well, spill it! Who is it?"

Syaoran smirked as he followed Daidouji's gaze. It led to none other than the Four-Eyes Creep. Even someone as smart as Daidouji would fall stupidly for someone like Hiiragazawa? It was just a scary thought. He didn't know her too well but he definitely knew one thing: Hirragazawa and Daidouji together were a dangerous and evil team. "Heh," he said, returning to his lunch. "What bad taste."

"Hoe?"

Eriol and Tomoyo just looked at each other for one more second before Eriol broke it off. Fortunately for Tomoyo, no one mentioned her _anonymous crush_...for the moment anyway. "There's a saying that goes with these rainy days," he said, changing the subject. "'_The showers bring uncertainty, but always end with a surprise_.'"

Sakura nodded slowly in agreement, slumping back in her chair. "I hate it when you don't know what's wrong..." she said, plopping some rice in her mouth. She had thought that she and Syaoran were getting along so well! But now...she wasn't sure if he even thought of her as a friend. She may have said that she thought of him as a friend, but he hasn't said anything at all.

Tomoyo half shrugged, half nodded. "I guess it's true..." For her, the uncertainty was that whole Eriol thing. If only he would talk to her about it, maybe things would work out. But he had said that they should probably finish the whole Li/Sakura thing first, so she couldn't do a thing.

"I've heard that quote before," Syaoran muttered. "Damn...it _is_ true after all." As for Syaoran...well, we all knew what his uncertainty was. Emotions can be so confusing and troubling sometimes, but then again, some are very comprehendible. Boy, if only they weren't so complicated.

Eriol smiled. "Wow. I never knew that the simple statement was true." Then, he paused a bit, looking thoughtfully into the air. "Actually now that I think about it, I guess it's true for me too."

Sakura looked at him in astonishment. Eriol? _Uncertain_! "Wow Eriol! I didn't know you have doubts too."

Eriol chuckled. "Of course. Everyone has their doubts."

"Hmph," Syaoran said. "So tell us. What does the Great Half Reincarnation of Clow Reed doubt? Don't tell me that it's girl problems." Then he let out a noise that was half a grunt and half a short laugh.

Eriol gave a big, sly grin, his glasses twinkling in the light. "Actually..."

Sakura got deeply interested in the conversation. Wow, Tomoyo _and_ Eriol like someone? How come she never noticed? "Oh! Eriol likes someone too! Who?"

He just simply smiled at the raven haired beauty sitting across from him and smiled. "Well Sakura, you know her very well." He looked at her without fazing, the same gentle expression on his face. It was as if he was telling her something through their eyes and it seemed to be working well.

Tomoyo immediately blushed as Sakura gave a pout. "Aww! Eriol that's not a good enough clue!" Turning to Tomoyo she asked, "Do you know, Tomoyo?"

"Umm...well..." The poor girl's tongue was tied in a knot. She was too flushed and embarrassed at the moment. Oh, and did I mention pretty excited? After all, he was looking at _her_ with that look on his face. Hmm...wait. This has to be a misunderstanding. Sure she may like him. But Eriol liking her? He didn't seem to be much interested in girls.

"No fair!" Sakura said seething playfully. "You told Tomoyo, Eriol?"

Eriol put on an even gentler smile, his eyes not looking away from those appealing amethyst ones. "No. I haven't told her anything yet. I'll be sure to tell her very soon, though..."

Tomoyo flushed even more which caused Eriol to chuckle. However, Sakura had turned to Syaoran and didn't catch what was going on between the two others as expected. "You don't know do you?"

Syaoran gave a snort as he continued chomping on food. "Of course I do."

Sakura's eyes widened. What! Even Syaoran knew! "H-How!"

Syaoran turned to her slightly, a disgusted look spreading on his face. "God...it's so obvious that I'm surprised I didn't notice earlier," he said. Turning back to his food, he sighed. "Why they gotta be so sappy about it though?"

"Hoe?"

Eriol shook his head. To be honest, Eriol was nervous about his feelings for Tomoyo. He wanted to tell her, and he knew she liked him back...but there's always that small chance that she didn't...right? And he wouldn't know what Tomoyo's best friend would do. Maybe she wouldn't approve of him. After all, he had been her enemy just a few years ago.

Syaoran decided to break the ice. "Sakura, what are you going to do on the weekend?"

Her face lit up, changing from the original baffled expression. "Oh yeah! Sonomi-san called yesterday and reminded me of that trip we won, Syaoran-kun! It starts tomorrow! And don't worry, it won't interrupt school. Sonomi-san said that she'd make them wait until we were ready."

He frowned. Tomorrow? "Doesn't that seem a little rushed?"

Sakura frowned. Was he busy? That would be a shame. After all, they had won the Trail's Trials _together_. So that's how she wanted to spend it. Maybe then, he'd be able to trust her more and wouldn't mind about that whole 'emotional bond' thing. "D-Do you have plans, Syaoran?"

Syaoran shook his head.

She sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I thought you were busy and I wanted to spend the cruise with you Syaoran."

Blood ran to his cheeks and his body stiffened in his seat. "Wh-What?"

Sakura nodded. "Who do you think we should invite? Me and you is two...we have three tickets left," she said as she counted with her fingers.

But Syaoran's mind wasn't really paying attention to her question. He was too busy trying to get his heart rate to slow down a bit. "I-I don't know. Y-You pick." Even when he saw Hiiragazawa and Daidouji give each other a sly glance, he didn't do anything.

Sakura's eyes brightened. "Really?" She received a stiff nod. "WAI! Thank you so much, Syaoran-kun!" she exclaimed. "Tomoyo, Eriol would you–"

"Of course we'll come!" Eriol said. "I was wondering if you were going to ask."

Tomoyo nodded as she nodded the stiff boy next to her. "I thought you wanted to spend the cruise with _Li-kun_, Sakura. That's why I didn't ask if Eriol and I could come." She gave a quick wink to Syaoran who looked about as red as a tomato.

All the poor boy could think of was what Sakura said. It repeated over and over and over and over in his mind. _'...I wanted to spend the cruise with you Syaoran... I wanted to spend the cruise with you Syaoran... I wanted to spend the cruise with you Syaoran...'_

Sakura laughed. "Aw, you're silly, Tomoyo. I want to spend the cruise with all of you too, you know?" At this, Syaoran's heart stopped beating so rapidly. But for some reason he was slightly disappointed to hear that. "But who should the other ticket go to?" Sakura continued. "They gave us five tickets, and we are only four."

"What about your father or brother?" Eriol suggested. "I'm sure they'd love to come."

Sakura shook her head. "Otou-san's too busy at work. I think there's this big project that he and his class at the university are preparing for. And Onii-chan?" She made a disgusted face. "No way!"

A shadow passed over Syaoran's face as he said the next words. "H-How about...Tsukishiro?" This time, as he saw her blush, his heart slowed and left him upset and down. Why had he said that when he didn't like the way how she reacted to it? Maybe it was so she would be happy. Hold on a minute! Why should he want to see her happy! Dammit...why had he opened his big mouth?

Sakura's heart fluttered, hearing Yukito's name. Jeez...she must look really red by now. "I-I don't know..."

"Okay then," Syaoran said quickly. "I'm sure he must be busy anyway. With college and all."

But he regretted what he said. Sakura's face suddenly fell at his comment and he too suddenly felt saddened. God, he had such a big mouth! "B-But I'm sure we'll think of someone!"

-

The final bell rang at last, deafening their ears.

"...and so concludes our lesson. We'll continue tomorrow, but remember you have homework on pages–"

But the teacher was long forgotten as students filed out of the class, trying to get to freedom. It was Thursday, and they had just one more day of confinement at school before their glorious, free weekend. They were anxious for it, but days seemed to drag on before the weekend. But still, even if it was still raining hard, anywhere would be better than here.

Sakura was at her locker, getting out her books that she needed for their homework that day while students pushed passed her to get to the exits into the rainy school yard. After she placed some books into her bag, she was about to close her locker when she realized something.

Glancing at the windows across from her, it was raining so hard that a small flood was starting to build up in the streets. "Oh no. Do I have an umbrella?" she said worriedly to herself. She turned to the locker and rummaged around but found none. She sighed. Oh well, she'd get soaked in the rain today.

When she arrived at the entrance, only a few people were left waiting for parents to pick them up. However, one person who was just staring into the rainy street in a daze caught her attention. She crept up behind him and leapt, ending up with her arms around his neck and her feet barely reaching the ground. "BOO!"

Startled, he practically jumped out of his skin. "Wh-What the–" He tried to turn but saw that the girl was keeping his neck in place, not letting him to move.

Sakura giggled. " Hiya Syaoran-kun!"

"S-Sakura!" A blush crept onto his face and his heart raced. Oh no...not again. But he felt her body weight against his back and he blushed even harder. God, why did she have to do this to him?

As she jumped off, he regained a little of his composure..._a little_. "Wh-What did you do that for?" he exclaimed, trying to sound as angry as he possibly could. Unfortunately, that just made his voice sound a big higher than usual and made him feel like a dork.

Sakura laughed. "Sorry. Couldn't resist scaring you." Then after looking around a bit at the people around them, she leaned in for a whisper. "I don't think jumping on you wasn't a good idea. Now all the girls around here are jealous," she whispered, a smile playing at her lips.

He shook his head. "Wh-Whatever..."

Giggling, she asked, "So what are you doing here? Waiting for a ride from someone?"

Syaoran shook his head and turned to the pounding rain. "I didn't think it would be raining this hard this morning so I didn't bring my umbrella. Besides, it was just drizzling a bit this morning. Jeez, I should've just brought it."

"Yeah, I didn't bring mine either. But at least we've learned a new lesson! Always keep an umbrella in your locker," she said.

Syaoran sighed. "But what now? I've been thinking of running my way home but..."

Sakura smiled. "You should. It's quite close by."

He nodded. "I guess..." Then he glanced at her. "What about you? What are you going to do?"

She shrugged, a smile still on her face. "I don't know. Maybe I'll run home too."

The boy was silent for a minute. He couldn't just let her run home. Her house was farther away than his was from the school. Besides, she could catch a cold in the rain. There was only one thing to do...  
"S-Sakura..." he started, his facing red again. "Wh-Why don't you just come to my house? It would take longer to get to yours."

She stared at him for a moment while he avoided her eyes. _Li_ _Syaoran__ was asking her to come to his house_. He didn't want her to run in the rain. He was...so different from before. More...caring and sweet. She would never imagine that this would happen the first time they met. She gave him the warmest smile he ever saw. "Thanks Syaoran-kun! Thank you so much!" Then she gave him a long hug. "Arigatou!"

As expected, he flushed at her touch and grew rigid. "L-Let's just...g-go..." She nodded.

He took her hand suddenly and they rushed into the cold, pelting rain, running as fast as they could while Syaoran tried desperately to hide his face from her. But of course, because he was holding her hand, the blush didn't go away much.

Unknowing to them, a pair of azure eyes and a pair of amethyst eyes watched their every move from not far behind them.

Eriol turned to his spying partner, a smile on his face. "I cannot believe that just happened..." he said.

Tomoyo nodded a sly smirk on her face as she held up her camcorder. "And I got it all on tape! KAWAII!"

Eriol chuckled at her antics as she put it safely away in her bag. "I guess we really don't have to butt in. I can't believe Syaoran did the right thing."

"It's the power of love even though it sounds really cheesy," Tomoyo said with a giggle. Her laughter faded, leaving a glowing smile on her face. "He really loves her. _Really_ loves her."

He nodded, his smile fading a tiny bit. "If only she'd feel the same..."

Tomoyo sighed. "I think I learned something today, Eriol. We shouldn't force people to love each other. It works sometimes, but when they fall in love by themselves it's much more effective. So, maybe we shouldn't force Sakura to have feelings for him. She'll just realize how he feels...and that's when she'll have to say something. Sakura is Sakura. And whatever comes, comes."

Eriol nodded again. "I hope everything goes all right for them. If it doesn't and Sakura doesn't love him back then..."

"...He'll be crushed. He never felt this way before, hasn't he?"

"No. But we'll worry about that if the time comes. But for now..." Ht took out his umbrella, his smile back in its place. "Would you like me to accompany a dear, sweet lady like yourself on this rainy afternoon?" He bowed in front of her, offering her a hand.

Tomoyo giggled. "Of course, good sir. I would be pleased." She took his hand and smiled. "I guess there goes my original plan on catching Sakura and Li-kun's kawaii actions on tape." She sighed. "Oh well."

Laughing and talking, they walked in the rain, both under Eriol's big umbrella holding hands.

-

Hearing nothing but the rain pounding against her body, the cars that zoomed by, and their quick footsteps against the wet sidewalk, she followed the boy who was guiding her through the streets by holding her hand. She smiled despite the soggy and wet apparel she wore. He cared about her after all. Now the only question was why he was keeping his emotions from her. But she didn't have time to ask, for she was out of breath and tired from running so vigorously in cold rain. She gave a quick sneeze and realized that she was catching a cold after all.

Syaoran heard that sneeze and quickly veered her to a shaded and mildly dry place under a big tree. There, he stopped and let go of her hand. She panted in tiredness and yet she looked up to give him a smile.

"I haven't run like that in ages."

Syaoran shrugged. "Sorry...It's just that you might catch a cold."

She sneezed again and wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered. "Aw...you worry too much, Syaoran-kun."

He frowned. "But look at you! You're cold, wet, and shivering!" He heard her sneeze again. "And you _already_ have a cold!"

"No I don't."

Sneeze.

She pouted miserably. "Okay, maybe I do..." But then she shrugged, a smile on her face again. "But, oh well. Ready to run again, Syaoran-kun?"

Syaoran sighed, running a hand through his wet hair to get it out of his face. He stared at her. She looked miserable yet she gave him a smile. How could she do it? She was already shivering so terribly that he thought she was having a seizure. He had to find some way to stop her from shivering at least. Maybe her cold won't be too severe that way. But finding that he had nothing except his school bag and the clothes on his back, he took a deep breath. He knew he would regret the next thing he was going to do.

Sakura blinked in confusion when Syaoran didn't answer. Feeling the coldness penetrating through her skin, she really thought they should get going now. It was still a long way to go, and this place under the tree wasn't entirely dry. "Syaoran? Are you ready?"

He stepped towards her. "Stop shivering first." Then slowly and cautiously, he wrapped his arms around her wet, cold body. He drew her close, not daring to breathe. Feeling her still shivering in his arms, he wrapped his arms tighter around her. He felt the slight blush invade his cheeks again, but this time, he barely cared. All he knew and felt was the girl in his arms...and that's all he wanted. He couldn't see her face, but maybe that was best. She would've seen the mixed emotions he was feeling through his eyes...emotions that he didn't know about himself. But the feeling of her body against his...it was just so...right. And no, it definitely wasn't lust he was feeling. It wasn't even a crush or attraction like Hiiragazawa and Daidouji suggested. It was deeper, more complicated than that. He leaned his head against the side of hers, feeling the coldness of her hair as it touched his cheek. He didn't care. He breathed in her scent of fresh cherry blossoms and felt completely at ease. But the feeling he had was so overwhelming. It felt like a tidal wave of emotions just ready to burst out of him. Even keeping that shield around his emotions was tough. It was ready to break any moment, and then all of what he was feeling would be known to her. No, he had to stop. He had to stop hugging her. But...he didn't want to pull away. _'She's still shivering'_, he thought to himself. _'When she stops shivering, I'll stop_. But he knew deep inside that it was an excuse. He _wanted_ to hug her; he _wanted_ to feel her body against his. He didn't want it to stop.  
Wait. He hadn't even thought about the possibility and he knew that he was probably wrong but...

Was this _love_?

No. It couldn't be.

"Wh-Why are you still shivering?" he asked, his voice below a whisper.

He felt her warm breath continue to tickle his neck and it made him tremble. "Y-You're the one who's shivering...Syaoran-kun..."

"I-I'm not cold though."

"...Me neither..."

His eyes widened and he pulled away slightly to see her face. Bad idea. They were only centimeters apart and as he drowned in her emerald orbs, he had a strange sensation that compelled him to just press her lips against his then just kiss every inch of her. Damn. Why'd she have to be so beautiful? Yes, he wasn't denying it any longer. He definitely thought she was pretty, the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. Not even the wet hair sticking to her face, not the fact that she was absolutely drenched from the rain, and nor the way her clothes were sticking to her skin made her any uglier. In fact, if anything it made him want to press his lips against her skin even more. He stared at her silently, just absorbing the look of undeniable innocence and confusion on her face. Oh how he loved those eyes, those emerald eyes that simply drowned him. Dammit. What was happening to him? Why did he get so many tingles up his spine? Why did he think about her so often in the day, that he went crazy?

...Why did holding her in his arms seem so right?

"If you're not cold...then why are you shivering?" he asked.

"I-I...don't know." After a moment of complete silence, he saw her swallow. "Syaoran-kun..."

His mind instantly went crazy at the sound of her sweet voice saying his name. _His _name. Dammit. He couldn't do this anymore. The shield around his emotions was drastically thinning. If he didn't pull away right now, she'd definitely know what was on his mind.

So that's what he did. He pulled away reluctantly and instantly felt coldness again. "W-We should get going."

Sakura nodded, still shivering. "Yeah..."

As they ran, this time not holding hands, Syaoran's mind was frozen in its place. He wasn't thinking; he was just running in a daze. But he was fully aware of the girl running beside him and couldn't take her eyes of her. Uneasy silence rested upon them and he realized that she had a greater effect on him than he thought.

He had fallen in love. And damn...had he fallen hard.

How did he know it was love? Well, he just knew. It certainly _felt_ like love. But still, how could he be so sure? He hasn't ever felt love before.

That only made him realize. He hasn't ever had these feelings before either .

The feelings he had for her...were the feelings of love.

Damn...were these the uncertainties that rain brings? If they were...he didn't know what the hell to expect for a surprise.

-

Fumbling around with his keys, he finally opened the door to his apartment. He followed Sakura and closed the door behind him. It closed with a deafening slam. As they walked into the living room, the main room, Sakura turned to face Syaoran slowly. He was avoiding her eyes unlike when he had been holding her. What had come over him? Why did he do that? He was simply trying to keep her warm. That's all. No biggie.

Then why did her heart tell her otherwise? Why did it _seem_ like a big deal?

She was just overreacting. He was sweet. He was trying to prevent her from feeling cold.

And boy, did he succeed.

She just couldn't stop shivering because of the way she felt those pleasuring tingles all over.

"Syaoran..." she said, but he didn't turn to her.

"I'll...uh...get you a towel...j-just...stay..." He didn't even glance at her.

She sighed as he walked away quickly. Standing stiffly on the nice rug and ruining it with the wetness of her shoes and clothes, she sighed. Things just kept on getting complicated by the minute. The rain _does_ bring uncertainties. But she didn't want to be uncertain anymore! She wanted to know! She wanted to know what was going on with him! And she wanted to know why the hell it felt so right in his arms!

Suddenly she heard the door open suddenly, breaking the silence. She saw a girl with long, beautiful black hair tied in pigtails with some luggage and boxes behind her.

"MY XIAO LANG!" she shouted happily, a huge smile on her face. "I'M HERE, LOVE!" She seemed to notice Sakura and she frowned. "Oh? Do I have the wrong place? The manager said that this was Li Syaoran's place." She looked at the soaked Sakura up and down. "And you're _definitely_ not Syaoran."

However Sakura was too frozen and shocked. Did this stranger just call Syaoran...'_love'_? She felt suddenly cold again and felt something come over her. Was it...envy? After all, this girl just barged right in and called Syaoran '_love._' What gave her the right to say that as if he belonged to her! He didn't belong to her! He didn't belong to anyone!

Wait. Why the heck did she care so much?

Suddenly they both heard someone drop something on the floor. Syaoran was standing there, wide-eyed and jaw dropped, the pile of towels he had brought at his feet. "M-Meiling!"

But the girl didn't look happy anymore. In fact, she looked raging mad. "Xiao Lang...why are you soaked? And most importantly...why is a girl – who is by the way as soaked as you are – standing in your living room!"

Outside, they heard the rain stop pit pattering against the windows. Light streamed in, illuminating the room. The rain stopped. But the tension was as heavy as ever. This definitely wasn't how they pictured the rain would end. Usually, the end of rain brought happiness, like rainbows and that sweet scent in the air. But now…

What a surprise. They definitely weren't expecting this.

**TO BE CONTINUED **


	11. Sick

**Tied By Fate  
By**: pnaixrose

**Disclaimer**: I don't own CCS or any of its characters. They all belong to CLAMP

**Dedicated to**: SweetStrawberries

* * *

**Chapter 11:** Sick

The girl with the fiery ruby eyes tapped her foot impatiently, one hand on her hip while the other was gripping the luggage handle tightly. " Xiao Lang!" she said again, her voice high pitched and angry.

Sakura stood stiffly in her spot watching the girl curiously as Syaoran did the same with his mouth opened in shock. Sakura felt a growing bad feeling coming over her. They obviously knew each other. She wasn't sure how exactly, but the way the girl named Meiling had called Syaoran "love" definitely meant that they were...

Why did she suddenly feel so upset?

She looked up when the girl started talking rapidly in another language, probably some kind of Chinese dialect. Sakura, not knowing what she was saying just stood there, not daring to move. She could feel the tension building. She was afraid to anger that girl. Wow. Imagine that. And she was supposed to be the great Card Mistress too.

As the girl stopped talking, Syaoran was bright red. "No, no! W-We didn't do anything like that!" he said in Japanese.

Sakura blinked. Like what?

"Meiling," Syaoran said with the tiredness evident in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

Meiling smiled brightly as she dropped her hold on her luggage and ran to hug him at top speed. "When Auntie found out that you moved by to an apartment to live by yourself, she sent me here to give you some of your stuff," she said, as she snuggled against him.

Syaoran sighed as he saw the boxes that were left in the hallway. It figures that his mother would send all these stuff...along with Meiling. Suddenly he spotted someone watching them who he had almost forgotten was standing there.

"So Syaoran," Meiling said letting go of him, "Who's she?"

Sakura seemed to snap out of her daze quickly and let out a small smile. "G-Gomen ne...I'm Kinomoto Sakura," she said with a bow. "Nice to meet you...uh..."

Meiling smiled brightly. This Sakura girl didn't seem like another one of Syaoran's fanatic groupies. "I'm Li Meiling, Syaoran's cousin and proud member of the Li clan," she said proudly and then paused. "Woops. I don't think you know about the Li clan, do ya?"

"Oh I do. The Li clan members are all Clow Reed's descendants, aren't they?" she said, "You must be really proud to be in such a clan like that."

Meiling nodded proudly. "That's right I– wait a minute! You know about the Li clan's magic!" Her jaw was dropped in surprise. Barely anyone knew about the Li clan and their magic. Why would a simpleton like her know? Inching closer towards the girl, she studied her thoughtfully, circling around her a few times.

Sakura sweat dropped, getting nervous as Syaoran's cousin looked at her. "Uh...Y-Yelan-san was the one who told me."

Meiling raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why'd Auntie tell someone like–"

"M-Meiling!" Syaorna shouted suddenly. "Don't be rude now."

Meiling looked back at him, ignoring what he said. "Why'd Auntie Yelan tell this girl, Syaoran?"

"Meiling, that's...the Card Mistress..."

Her ruby eyes widened as she whipped her head to face the new girl. "No way!" Her grin grew. "KAKKOI! So _you're_ the Card Mistress I've been hearing about!"

"Hoee...I guess..." Sakura said. Were people in Hong Kong talking about her? Hoee...how embarrassing.

"Ne, ne," Meiling said excitedly as she grabbed Sakura's hands. "You think you can teach me some magic?"

Sakura's confusion grew. Didn't all Lis have magic? But now that she thought about it, she didn't feel any magic aura from Meiling. She didn't have a drop of magic in her veins. She looked at her pleading eye nervously. She had no idea how to answer the question without getting this girl angry.

Luckily, Syaorna came to the rescue even though he _was_ kind of rude to his own cousin. "Meiling," Syaoran said with a sigh. "You know people who weren't born with magic can't simply learn it."

Sakura immediately saw Meiling eyes darken as she let go of her hands. "I-I guess..." Then she frowned at Syaoran. "Didn't have to put it that way though."

Sakura agreed silently in her mind. Syaoran _was_ mean. She felt so bad for Meiling now. Must be hard for people to see you as a lower status than they were. She wished she had some way to cheer the girl up. Wait a minute...

Syaoran immediately felt exactly what Sakura was going to do next. He groaned out loud in frustration but none of the girls seemed to notice him anymore. _No...Sakura wouldn't..._

"Ne, Li-san," Sakura said with a small grin as Syaoran outwardly groaned again. "Wanna come with my friends and me on a three day yacht cruise?"

Meiling's eyes grew once again. She had never gone on a boat before...and here was this Kinomoto Sakura girl she had just met asking her to come? But she had to admit to herself...it sounded quite exciting. "Uh...are...you sure?"

Sakura nodded, a big grin on her face. "It'll be so much fun! I heard there are a pool and a ballroom there too!"

"WAI! Let's go! Let's go!" Meiling said as she jumped in excitement. Wow. She had just arrived here and already she was making friends.

"I'll introduce you to everyone too!" Sakura said getting as excited as her. "I just can't wait!"

"Me neither!"

As the two girls giggled and squealed, Syaoran watched them shaking his head slowly. Wow. That was a surprise. Who would have ever thought that Meiling, queen of grouchiness and complaints would ever be friends with Sakura? He had to let out a small smile though. It was kind of a relief. He wouldn't have to endure any fights between them which Meiling would be sure to start if they didn't get along. "Sakura, are you sure about this?" he asked.

Sakura nodded. "Of course! Why wouldn't I invite her?" she asked.

"Well, you _did_ just meet her," Syaoran pointed out with a short laugh.

But Sakura shook her head. "She's your cousin, Syaoran! She's no stranger." She turned to Meiling. "Ne, Meiling-chan?" She stopped suddenly looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry...may I call you that?"

However Meiling was in some sort of daze and didn't exactly hear the question directed to her. She was staring at the apartment rug in deep thought. Her eyes kind of saddened. Syaoran had called the Card Mistress by her first name. He had done that _and_ laughed. Meiling hadn't heard him do that in so long...but she had been hoping that she was going to be the one who cause him to laughed and smile. She glanced up at Syaoran who had his gaze set on Kinomoto Sakura. His eyes...they were different. They weren't suffering. They weren't burdened. They were completely different...and that she hadn't been the one to change them. Only a few weeks away from him and he had already seemed so at home here. Meiling sighed, her heart beginning to sink. Syaoran...he was so distant even though when he was standing right next to her. But here he was, being so familiar to this girl. He wasn't even that familiar with his own family members! He...He seemed to forget all about Hong Kong and everything and everyone who had anything to do with it...including his close cousin...her.

"...Gomen..." Sakura said suddenly waking Meiling from the daze. She was looking at the ground in embarrassment and shame. "That was really rude of me. I-I don't have to call you by your first name."

Meiling's lips grew into a smile and she laughed. This girl was something else, wasn't she? "You can call me Meiling," she said. "Only if I get to call you Sakura!"

Sakura grinned. "Deal!"

"Oh, here Sakura," Syaoran said as he picked up a towel and tossed one to her. She was still wet from running in the rain a few minutes ago.

Sakura laughed as she grabbed the white towel and dried her hair with it. "Oh yeah! Arigato."

Meiling forced herself to smile a bit as she witnessed the friendliness between the two. "Well, I'm going to unpack and stuff..." She turned to Syaoran with a playful wink and a laugh. "Auntie packed more underwear for you too. I must say, green boxers _do_ suit you."

She left the bright red Syaoran and the laughing Sakura to find her own room. Her own room in Japan.

Wow. Things were different already...mainly the new, improved Syaoran...

-

"Whew, I thought school would never end!" Tomoyo laughed as she and Sadura walked away from the student filled building behind them.

Sakura nodded in agreement. "The bell took forever to ring. I was about to go crazy! I couldn't wait to leave!"

Tomoyo grinned. "You mean...with Li-kun?"

Sakura stopped in her tracks. "Huh?"

"Yesterday Eriol and I saw you guys running in the rain without an umbrella!" Tomoyo said with a giggle. "It was a pretty cute sight! So what happened? Details!"

The other girl just rolled her eyes. "It was...interesting," she answered quietly. Yesterday was one of the most confusing days of her life. First of all, _the_ Li Syaoran was being nice to her! Second of all, she realized that he was hiding his emotions from her! Then...and then...there was that weird feeling she felt when he hugged her that time when they were protected by the rain under a tree. It was faint...but she knew it was definitely there. Why did she feel that? Oh well. It was probably nothing to worry about.

"Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked. Her friend had just fallen into a trance suddenly. "Are you sick? After all, you _did_ run in the rain yesterday."

Sakura looked up and smiled. They were turning the corner now. Only a few more streets and they would arrive at her house. Tomoyo had wanted to come over right after school today. She said it was something with her clothes she was bringing. "I'm okay Tomoyo. I didn't seem to catch a cold. It's just that I was up all night yesterday packing for the trip," she half lied. She _was_ up all night packing. But that's not the reason why she was all in a daze today.

Tomoyo laughed. "Well, c'mon! Let's hurry! I wanna see what clothes you packed!"

"More like you wanna replace the clothes I picked with ones you want," Sakura said with a grin.

"Yup! Exactly!"

-

Li Syaoran's eyebrow rose as he smelled an odd scent. Dropping off his keys on a small table nearby and taking of his shoes, he entered his apartment dizzily. He had just had a quite exhausting day of school and wanted to sleep a bit before getting ready for that cruise. He felt incredibly tired for some reason and he groaned at the smell of smoke.

"Meiling..." he muttered.

His cousin had planned to go to her first day of school today but she suddenly changed her mind. She said that she wanted to arrange the apartment with all the boxes she had brought in yesterday. Syaoran was grateful for that and looked around at his furnished and clean apartment. It didn't look empty anymore. Thank God Meiling volunteered to fix the apartment. He didn't feel like lifting anything today anyway. But then again she was up to something. Maybe she was baking something. Syaoran groaned, feeling an ache in his head. _Please...don't let her be baking!_

Everything was probably against him today because when he entered the kitchen, a cloud of black smoke blurred his vision.

"Meiling!" Syaoran shouted coughing.

Struggling through the smoke filled kitchen, he went to a window and pushed it open. The dirty air ventilated through it and soon his vision cleared. But unfortunately, his head seemed to ache even more.

His cousin stood near the oven meekly, wearing a large apron and oven mitts on her hands. "Welcome home, Syaoran," she said trying to sound bright.

He stood in front of her, a stern and scolding look on his face. "What did you do, Meiling!" he said in exasperation.

She looked down at the floor in shame. Then she took the cake out of the oven...if you can call it a cake anymore. It was smoldering still and was burnt crispy. She set it slowly on the countertop and took off her mitts as she flopped down on a chair burying her head in her hands. "I just wanted to make you something before you came home..." she mumbled.

Syaoran sighed and smiled a bit. He patted her shoulder to console his dear cousin. "It's okay, Meiling. Baking was never one of your best skills anyway. Thanks for cleaning up the apartment though. I appreciate it," he said. Then he went to open the other window to let out the stinky air. "Wake me up in a few minutes or so okay? Then we'll go over to Sakura's. We're supposed to meet her there."

The girl didn't reply. This wasn't the Li Syaoran she knew. He was definitely different. First of all, he had never talked that willingly before. He had always said few words as much as possible and avoided other people as much as possible. But here he was yapping the longest sentence Meiling had ever heard him say. Second of all, since when did he start consoling people! He had _never_ done that before! And since when did he start smiling! Since when did he care so much! Since when did he start calling girls out of their family by their first names! How the hell did he change so much in a matter of a few weeks! She wasn't saying that he was a better person before...it's just that...she wanted to be the one to change him to this person. She suddenly felt a resentment to her first friend she met here. Kinomoto Sakura. Meiling knew she was the one who changed him. But for some reason, Meiling couldn't bring herself to hate her. Sakura was a good person. She knew that and couldn't deny it. Maybe if Sakura was a total bitch, Meiling could hate her. But she wasn't. She was kind and caring to such an extent that almost surprised Meiling...no wonder she changed him so fast.

Giving one more small grin to his cousin, Syaoran was about to leave the smoke smelling kitchen when suddenly Meiling stood.

"Syaoran, wait," she said slowly.

He stopped and turned to her. "Hmm?"

He saw her take a visible gulp. "Syaoran...I...when...when did you start calling Sakura by her first name?" she asked. It had almost been hard for him to hear her.

Syaoran practically froze. He didn't know what to answer. "I-I...I don't know..."

Meiling gave a small smile as she looked down at her feet. "Oh...okay then. Have a good nap. I'll clean up here, okay?"

He gave a short nod and with one last look at his cousin, he left the kitchen, his head throbbing even more than before.

-

"Hmm...it's already four o'clock," Tomoyo said looking at her watch. She turned to Eriol who was standing next to her. "We were supposed to meet at this time, ne?"

Eriol nodded. "Don't worry about it. He'll be here."

"Meiling-chan's coming too," Sakura said coming from behind them pulling a suitcase behind her.

They were all waiting patiently for the last two people to arrive. Their personal black limousine was waiting near them with all their luggage in the trunk.

"Meiling?" Eriol said, a grin growing on his face.

"Yup," Tomoyo said as she helped Sakura drop the luggage into the trunk. "Sakura said she invited her too. She's Li-kun's cousin I think."

Sakura nodded as she closed the trunk with a bang.

"I know Meiling-san," Eriol said with a big smile. "She liked me a lot more than Syaoran did actually."

"That's great! Then we all aren't complete strangers!" Tomoyo said. She added a giggle. "I just have to meet her first."

"You'll like her, Tomoyo," Sakura said. "Maybe you can even start making her clothes instead of me!"

They laughed when suddenly Touya emerged from within the house. "You guys set to go?" he asked. The three nodded. "Oh and Kero said to bring him a present," he said.

Sakura sighed. "I can't believe he didn't want to go for once. He always likes these kind of things."

Tomoyo laughed, her camera bag hanging off her shoulder. "Isn't he hung up on that new game you got him?"

"But he beat it four times already!" Sakura exclaimed. Then she saw her brother grumbled as he looked around. "Onii-chan? What's wrong?"

"Where's the gaki?"

"He's not a gaki...and he's not here yet," Sakura said with a frown.

Her onii-chan grinned. "Oh well. Maybe you'll just have to leave him behind!"

But as soon as he said that, Eriol spotted two figures running hurriedly towards them. He smiled. "They're here."

Touya groaned as Meiling and Syaoran arrived, panting for air, their luggage dragging behind them.

"Meiling! Syaoran! You made it!" Sakura exclaimed happily. "My brother will throw your luggage in the trunk. C'mon Meiling, I'll introduce you to my friends," Sakura said as she took the tired girl's hand towards Tomoyo and Eriol.

Touya groaned as he lifted the two luggage bags into the trunk and closed it again as Syaoran, after momentarily having a glaring contest with Sakura's older brother, followed the two girls.

"This is Daidouji Tomoyo," Sakura said, pointing to Tomoyo. "Her mom owns the Daidouji Company. In fact, we got the tickets to this cruise from her mom."

Meiling nodded to the long raven haired girl. "Hiya."

Tomoyo smiled. "Nice to meet you."

As Meiling's eyes wandered over to the boy standing a few feet away, she let out a laugh. "Eriol!"

He grinned, his glasses twinkling. "Nice to see you again, Meiling."

She gave him a quick, friendly hug and laughed some more. "Hey, wait a minute," she said as she looked at him. "You only look a few years older!"

It was Eriol's time to laugh. "Well, I had to stay the same age as when I was going to meet the Card Mistress. But as you can see, I now look like a handsome teenager, don't I?"

Meiling giggled as Syaoran expectedly snorted causing Eriol to frown at him.

After they all shared a laugh, Sakura pointed to Touya who was standing a few feet away. "Anyway, that's my older brother Touya...but you wouldn't really care about him would you? Believe me you don't want to go meet him," she said which earned her a glare from her onii-chan.

"Well? We all set?" Tomoyo asked. " Hope you brought everything!"

-

Sakura and Meiling squealed as they got on the yacht and they immediately ran towards the side to see the open waters, leaving Tomoyo and the boys behind to talk to the captain. They were supposed to be listening to the rules and regulations while on the yacht, but they had been too excited to refrain from running around on deck.

"Wow! This is so cool!" Meiling exclaimed as she dangled herself carelessly from the railing. "It's like I can see forever!"

"I've never been on a ship before..." Sakura said, breathing in the relaxing salty air.

Meiling nodded. "Me neither. It's pretty exciting. Thanks again for inviting me."

The emerald eyed girl simply smiled. "I'm the one who should be thanking you for coming!"

The smile seemed to lessen on Meiling's face and she looked beyond the open sea, her hair drifting gently in the soft breeze. Sakura was the one inviting her, yet when Meiling had thanked her, she had somehow reversed it! How the hell can she be so nice! _This is the girl who changed your Syaoran_, a sad voice said. She'd have to be very skilled in something to be able to even reach the usually cold hearted boy. Meiling realized that Sakura's best skill was her personality. She could melt even Syaoran's heart with her kindness. Meiling inwardly scoffed at herself. All she has ever been to him was a nuisance. She'd always say that she'd wanted to help the sorrow lift from his shoulders, lesson the workload, or even lesson the responsibility that he had gotten but she knew she was no good. She was a shame to him. Heck, she was probably a shame to the whole clan. She didn't have magic. That was a rare thing in the Li clan. If her aunt, a rather prominent Li, hadn't persuaded the Elders, Meiling would probably be in the care of foster parents right now...or maybe no parents at all. That's why she was so damn proud of being a Li. She would've given anything and everything to become a Li if she wasn't born one. They were all confident, proud, talented, caring people. It was the thing she loved the most.

The only thing she loved more than being a Li was...Syaoran.

"Hey," Sakura said suddenly breaking Meiling out of her reverie, "I wonder who else are onboard this yacht. Surely it can't just be us, right? It's too big for just five teenagers and the crew."

"I can answer that," Tomoyo said as she came with a usual smile on her lovely face. "My mother and all the other coordinators who made the Trail's Trials are here. She said it was like a three day celebration for creating it."

"Oh...isn't it kind of late? The Trail's Trials have been out for a few months already, hasn't it?" Sakura asked.

Tomoyo shrugged as she leaned against the railing. "I guess they wanted to spend it with the first winners of their game?"

Sakura and Tomoyo noticed Meiling looking at them in confusion as they conversed.

"What's a...Trail's Trial?"

-

"The ladies are off again doing their own thing while we have to carry this luggage to their rooms!" Eriol said in half frustration half amusement. He was pulling one luggage was the handle, and somehow carrying two with one hand. Walking through the surprisingly glamorous interior of the ship towards their assigned rooms, Eriol laughed. "You know, this place kind of reminds me of a hotel of some kind," he said.

And he was right. The interior was carpeted and was arranged into hallways. Every so often, they'd see a room or signs directing them to different places like the dining hall or to the deck. The hallways were even lighted with brilliant lights and were impeccably clean. Eriol never expected a boat to be like this. It also had great features like the dining hall and a pool on deck. But it was easy to find which way to go. This yacht wasn't _that_ big. Eriol smiled to himself. It was like a mini, mini Titanic to his eyes.

Realizing that no one had replied to his statement, he turned and frowned at Syaoran who was lagging off behind him. "What's wrong? You're only carrying two bags and you're lagging behind. Where's the big, strong, Li Syaoran, eh?" he joked.

He got an almost inaudible grunt and he watched as Syaoran trudged behind him. "I'm kinda tired..." he mumbled.

"I can see that...oh wait. Here are our rooms."

They stood in the hallway of five doors which were labeled. Three of the rooms were to Eriol and Syaoran's right, while the other two rooms were across the hallway. It was at a dead end and Eriol was relieved. Their rooms were close to each others. He was afraid that they would be stationed to different parts of the ship.

"Thank god," Syaoran mumbled as he stumbled through the door labeled " Kinomoto Sakura: Winner of Trail's Trials" and plopped her heavy suitcase on the elegant bed. Then, not even taking a glance around to see the rather beautiful room, he charged out and went to the room that said " Li Syaoran: Winner of Trail's Trials." Dropping the luggage carelessly, he collapsed on the bed, panting slightly.

After a minute with his eye closed, he opened them and glared at the guy standing at his doorway. Eriol had already dropped the luggage off at the appropriate rooms. Syaoran groaned. Great. Now he was going to annoy him when all he wanted to do was sleep.

Eriol smirked at his friend's glare. He was definitely used to it by now. "Guess what? I have blackmail on you."

Syaoran's eyebrow rose. Where the hell did that come from! He stared at the blue haired guy threateningly. Hiiragazawa was just playing with him, trying to irritate him. He was probably bored and had nothing else better to do. "You got nothing on me, Hiiragazawa," Syaoran warily said.

Eriol's smirk grew. "Oh really? What about your little-ahem-encounter with Sakura yesterday? And you two walked in the rain?"

Syaoran leaned back on his comfy, temporary bed. "Y-You can't prove a-anything happened," he said trying to remain calm but felt the redness cover his cheeks.

But of course Eriol didn't fall for it. "I didn't say anything like that. You basically proved it then. Something happened between you two. Otherwise, you wouldn't be stuttering and blushing like a little girl."

Syaoran glared at him silently, wishing he would leave so he could rest. But of course, he didn't.

"Tell me," Eriol said, his face quite serious now. "What do you think of Sakura?"

Eriol was curious. He had already seen some signs of him starting to fall for her, but of course they weren't confirmed. He was pretty sure that he did though. Of course, he was wondering what Syaoran thought of it. Besides, that little talk they had at the amusement park before was still fresh on his mind...

_"Can crushes or attractions stop your heart from hurting?"_

It didn't seem like some petty crush or a mere attraction like Eriol had thought it would start out to be. It actually sounded like it could be...love. But so soon? They had only met a few weeks ago! Maybe fate really _did_ tie their souls together.

"Leave me alone, Hiiragazawa," Syaoran said as he closed his eyes. "I've had enough of talking with you. Last time I talk to you about this subject I got confused as heck." He added a sigh. "I'm too damn tired for any of that now."

"You might as well get it over with now because you know I'll ask you again later," Eriol said with an uncharacteristic growl.

Syaoran's jaw clenched. He was right. But he felt so tired! He couldn't even think straight anymore! He just lay there motionless hoping that the annoying reincarnation would take the picture and leave. But he didn't. Sighing, Syaoran sat up on the bed. Talking to Hiiragazawa with a pounding headache was better than falling asleep with him watching him. Now that was just plain creepy.

"Okay, what do you want?" Syaoran asked rubbing his head.

Eriol gave an 'innocent' smirk. "Oh, I'm just wondering something."

"What?" Syaoran asked again this time more frustrated. "Just spill it already!"

"Syaoran, what happened yesterday? Tomoyo and I saw you and Sakura walk—no _run_ off somewhere after school in that rain."

Syaoran's face grew hot as he recalled the events of yesterday's rainy afternoon. He still remembered the warmth of her hand as he dragged her through the streets, how her bangs stuck to her forehead, how she had a bright smile on her face, how close he had been to her...

How he was so sure he was in that crazy thing called _'love'_...

He was. He was in love with the Card Mistress. The girl that he had hated so much when he had first came here. The girl whom he was _'bonded'_ through emotions with. Kinomoto Sakura.

Syaoran heard a chuckle and knew immediately that Eriol knew. There was no need for asking anymore. It probably showed through his face this very second.

"I see..." Eriol said simply with a hint of amusement in his voice. The very sight of Syaoran going into a daydream in front of him was very entertaining. But he knew when he had asked that question and when Syaoran's usual cold expression melted into a gentle one, he had hit the jackpot. It was true. He had been right! Li Syaoran was in love with Kinomoto Sakura. Now only if Eriol knew what Sakura felt.

Syaoran didn't respond at Eriol's short statement. He couldn't. For some weird reason, he couldn't deny it.

_That's because you are in love with the girl. You fell...and you fell deep._

The Li leader scowled and ignored the small voice in his head.

It's funny, ain't it? Here is a boy who everyone thought would never feel this way, who everyone thought would grow bitter and cold every single day. A boy who had experienced such a rough childhood. A boy who hadn't given a second thought about girls or even his feelings. Then suddenly a girl just can't escape his mind. Ironic?

Nah...

_Fate_ is more like it.

-

"WHOOHOO!" Meiling screamed as the boat let out two loud horns. "We're going! We're moving!"

The other two girls watched with smiles on their faces as the new Chinese girl ran towards the front of front of deck and looked down at the ocean.

"She's really nice," Tomoyo said with a giggle. "Certainly has lots of energy."

Sakura nodded as the boat started going forward, almost causing her to lose her balance. "I wonder why Syaoran never told us about her."

Her best friend shrugged. "There's probably a lot about Li-kun that we don't know." Then her face grew sly. "Sakura, you're probably the only one who knows a lot about him!"

"I guess..."

Tomoyo saw Sakura's face sadden a bit and was instantly curious. "What's wrong?"

She looked up at her and shrugged a bit, pasting a smile on her face. "I-It's nothing really, Tomoyo-chan. It's just that...he's hiding his feelings from me?" Sakura said. "It's as if...he's worried I'll find something out. I know that everyone needs their privacy but...I don't know. I'm probably overreacting."

Tomoyo's smile lessened. Syaoran was hiding his feelings? She had a suspicious feeling that it had something with his feelings...for Sakura.

-

"S-Sugoi!" an excited Sakura exclaimed. Her eyes traveled towards the pool on deck. It was lined with clean gold and blue colored tiles and the water inside looked sparkly clean. It almost looked like it was waiting for someone to jump in.

"It's pretty impressive, ne?" grinned a delighted Sonomi. She had just finished their tour with this pool and was quite happy at the kids' reactions.

"Oh! Let's go, let's jump in!" Meiling suggested to the other three teens that were next to her.

"Sounds good. May we?" Eriol asked politely as he looked to Sonomi.

The older woman glanced at her watch and smiled. "Yeah sure. No need for politeness. It's around four-thirty right now. Get out in about two hours. The crew wants to meet you, Sakura-chan!" Sonomi squealed. "After all, you're the first one to finish the Trail's Trials. Just think, Nadeshiko's daughter was the first to finish that hard game!" Sonomi sighed at the memory of her dear cousin, Sakura's mother.

However the girl sweat dropped at Sonomi's antics. "I-I wasn't the only one who did it, Sonomi! I had my friends...and Syaoran was there with me!"

Sonomi nodded. "That's right! You're boyfriend, ne?" She laughed. "Well, he looked cute! You're one lucky girl, Sakura-chan! Where is he anyway?"

Eriol and Tomoyo watched in delight as Sakura's face grew bright red. But unknowing to them, Meiling's face paled and her breath stopped short. Were Sakura and Syaoran really going out? After all, none of them had said it but it kind of seemed so. Was it true?

"S-Sonomi-san, Syaoran and me...we aren't...we aren't together," Sakura said trying to suppress the blood rushing to her face. But of course, it didn't work much. She couldn't help it! The thought of her and Syaoran together was ridiculous though!

Meiling let out a breath and her face color appeared normal again. Unfortunately for her, two observing pairs of eyes saw this.

Sonomi laughed. "Aw, gomen ne Sakura-san. I just thought that...well, never mind." She clapped her hands together. "Well, go get changed and get your friend! Go jump in the pool!"

-

Eriol sighed as he waited in out in the hallway where their rooms were. Tapping his foot as he leaned against the wall, he waited for the girls who were currently changing in their rooms. Why did girls have to take such a long time? All he had done was dress in some trunks and a shirt and slip into his flip flops. Do girls really have to take this long?

He stared at the door in front of him. It was Syaoran's door. They hadn't tried calling him yet because they were afraid he'd get angry. Eriol noticed that he was quite sleepy before. He was probably asleep. And anyone who was crazy enough to wake him would most probably hear his grumpiness when he awoke.

Suddenly a door opened to reveal a lovely looking Tomoyo wearing a white two piece bathing suit. Her hair was done in a bun and in her arms were a towel and a bottle of sun block lotion. Eriol felt his hormones acting up as he felt a blush creeping up his face. He just couldn't look away and when she approached him, he even felt himself dizzy a bit. Jeez. Being a teenager was tough, ne?

"Hi, Eriol-kun!" Tomoyo said happily. She was obviously oblivious from his azure eyes staring at her from behind his glasses. Then she handed him the sun block. "Put that on. You don't want to get sunburn."

"Y-You look lovely, T-Tomoyo-san..." he finally said as he smiled at her, trying to force his eyes to stay on her face instead of the rest of the body. It would be quite rude to stare at her now, wouldn't it? There would be time for a little glance or two later on.

She blushed, suddenly what she was wearing in front of him. "Th-Thanks..." Eriol nodded and stared at the ground as Tomoyo looked elsewhere wondering if she looked all right in the bathing suit. They stayed there for a couple of minutes in an uncomfortable silence when two other doors opened. Tomoyo almost sighed aloud in relief.

They watched as Sakura and Meiling approached them. The Chinese girl was wearing a dark red bikini with a white towel wrapped around her waist and Sakura was wearing a pink two piece.

Tomoyo grinned, momentarily forgetting about the uncomfortable moment that passed between her and Eriol. "KAWAII! Sakura, I told you that you would look good in that!" she said as she suddenly whipped out her camera. Turning it on, she recorded the group.

Meiling leaned over to Sakura. "Is she always like this?" she whispered.

Sakura nodded and laughed. "It's kind of her hobby."

Tomoyo's face appeared from behind the camera as she recorded a posing Eriol. "Hey, aren't we still missing someone?"

Meiling's eyes seemed to brighten up at the mention of him. "Oh yeah! Syaoran!" Walking over to the door, she knocked hard as the others held their breaths, expecting a grumpy shout from within.

But to their surprise, none came. "Syaoran!" Meiling called, knocking again and again.

Still no answer. Frustrated, Meiling turned the knob and looked inside.

No Syaoran anywhere.

"Hey, where is he?" Eriol said peering inside the darkened room.

The ruby eyed girl closed the door with a sigh. "He's probably off wandering again. He used to do that a lot at home. The Elders always got so angry."

Sakura was actually getting a bit worried. Syaoran hadn't looked all that well all day. Even in school, he looked pretty tired. Maybe something was wrong?

Suddenly she felt a spark of confusion that wasn't hers. That shield Syaoran held around his emotions probably came down for a second. He was thinking again. But it wasn't the usual pain that she felt. In fact, there was no pain at all. Just...deep confusion. And for some reason, she felt a bit dizziness with it. Something seemed wrong.

"Hey, do you mind if I go look for him?" Sakura asked, a tint of a worried tone in her voice.

"Is something wrong?" Tomoyo asked.

Sakura gave a small smile. "No, no. I'm just a bit worried."

Eriol nodded. "If you want to you can. We'll be at the pool."

-

Sakura walked slowly up the steps to the deck. She had looked all over inside the boat, but he wasn't there. That meant he was probably on deck somewhere. Glancing every which way, she tried to pinpoint where exactly she had felt his emotions from. But she couldn't. Sighing she looked up into the sky in frustration. She just couldn't find him! Where was he?

Suddenly, a figure caught her eye as she walked on. He was leaning against the railing, looking out into the ocean. Spotting some dark brown hair, she started towards him.

He must have heard her footsteps because he turned and saw her coming. "Oh."

"Where were you?" Sakura asked letting out a breath of relief she didn't know she was holding in.

"Here."

Leaning against the railing next to him, she looked at him. "Why?"

He just shrugged. "I don't know."

That was a lie. He knew it was a lie. He knew _exactly_ what he was thinking about. He was thinking about _her._ He was thinking about the very person he was standing next to. Why? He couldn't say why. He just couldn't get her out of his head. He just couldn't stop thinking about her and what _almost_ happened yesterday while running to his apartment. Just hugging the girl would bring about all that confusion? It was enough just thinking about her! What if he found himself with her in a situation like that again? He wouldn't know what on earth to do. He sighed. He couldn't do this anymore. It was tiring him out just thinking about her so much.

He didn't want to stop though.

Just the sight of her, the _thought_ of her seemed to brighten up his day somehow even though it confused him still. He couldn't explain it. Wasn't it too soon though? He'd only known the girl for a couple of weeks! Can you fall in love in a couple of weeks?

"Syaoran-kun?" came a quiet, sweet voice.

"Yeah?"

Sakura fidgeted in her spot, playing with her fingers. She didn't know why she wanted to ask it. But she was just curious to finding out why he was hiding his emotions from her. "Wh-Why are you...shielding your emotions from me?"

Syaoran was startled but the girl rambled on.

"I-I mean, I know that everyone needs privacy. But I...I thought...we were close enough to be let our emotions free? I mean..." she blushed at the thought. "I-I don't hide my feelings about Yukito from you. I never did. I-I thought that...I don't know. I sound like a fool..." She laughed nervously, watching his reaction.

He froze. But it wasn't because of the question she just asked. It was because he had almost forgotten. _She was in love with Yukito_. He felt a sudden stab at his heart. How on earth could he forget! The girl he loved was in love with another guy!

Wait. He had admitted it. He had just admitted that he loved her.

A sinking feeling came now. He _was_ in love with her. It was no use denying it.

But it didn't matter. After all, Sakura was in love with Yukito.

Syaoran was writhing in pain inside. It hurt a lot. It hurt a lot to find out that you loved a girl for the first time...only to find that she loved someone else. DAMMIT! Why'd she have to be his first love?

But he knew the answer to that. It was because she's the only one who literally felt what he went through. She was the one who started to change him.

She was the only one who touched his heart so deeply.

"Syaoran-kun!"

He figured by the tone of her voice that she felt a tint of the pain he felt. She was worried. Damn. She was _always_ worried. And was always caring, gentle, happy, loving...

Feeling dizzy, he leaned his head against his arms which rested on the railing. He couldn't concentrate anymore. Everything just seemed to be going wrong. It just hurt. Sakura was in love with someone else.

"S-Sakura..." he whispered, his head still bent down. That was probably a good thing. Sakura wouldn't see the pain in his eyes that way. "D-Do you...love Yukito?"

Sakura blinked at the unusual question. "Syaoran-kun, is something wr–"

"Answer the damn question!" he shouted, lifting his head and staring down at her. His emotions were wild and angry. He barely knew what the hell he was saying anymore. Having the head splitting headache and the dizziness didn't help either.

Sakura grew stiff as she saw those fierce amber eyes looking down at her. What was wrong? Why was he acting this way? Why was he asking this question?

"ANSWER!"

Her heart thumping in fright, she gulped. "Y-Yes!" she answered quickly, barely thinking. When she realized what she said, her eyes softened. "I-I...love him." She did. She never felt the same way about anyone...

...that's what she thought. A second after she said it, she suddenly felt like she was lying. It felt...fake.

-

"I-I wonder where Syaoran is," Meiling said aloud by mistake. She was worried too. Syaoran hadn't seemed himself all day. First, he'd been all sleepy, then he'd act weird like when she had ruined the cake. Was something wrong?

And what exactly was it with Sakura and Syaoran? W-Were they together?

She was sitting on the pool's edge, her legs dangling into the water as she stared into the air. She didn't even notice it when Eriol and Tomoyo, who had been racing and laughing with each other came up to her. Tomoyo propped herself beside the girl, her body dripping wet as Eriol stayed afloat in the water.

"Meiling?" Tomoyo asked. "Is something wrong? You haven't even been in the water yet."

"What the matter?" Eriol asked, his glasses for once off his ears since he was swimming. "At Hong Kong, you loved swimming."

Meiling snapped out of her daze. "I-I was just...wondering where Syaoran was."

Tomoyo and Eriol glanced at each other as Meiling fell into another trance. The sound of her voice was the one that gave it away and they both thought the same thing.

Was Meiling in love with Syaoran?

-

Watching him carefully, Sakura looked up at the boy in confusion. His face seemed to harden as if she had said something wrong. She noticed that he gripped onto the railing so hard that his knuckles turned white. "S-Syaoran-kun?"

Suddenly she saw his eyes almost close. He was tired. Greatly tired. She gasped as he lost his balance and wobbled a bit, his grip on the railing loosening.

"Syaoran!"

Just as she thought he would collapse, he gripped onto the railing again, resting his head on top of it. "Tired..."

His face was flushed as he struggled to open his eyes. Worried, Sakura reached out and placed a gentle hand on his forehead. She gasped. "You're sick!"

"Am I?" he asked in a tired voice. Everything was fuzzy now. He barely could remember who he was talking to.

"You might have a fever, Syaoran!" Sakura exclaimed. "Was that why you were acting all funny today? Why did you come if you feel so sick?"

"B-Because Sakura asked me to..." He answered deliriously.

Her emerald eyes grow soft. "Syaoran..." With a sigh, she picked up his arm and made him lean against her.

"What are you doing?" he asked s he took an unsteady step.

"I'm bringing you back to your room! This is dangerous having you all dizzy-like on the deck of a boat!"

-

A burst of wetness on his forehead woke him. It was relaxing to have his forehead cooled down. Grumbling, he opened one amber eye. The sight made him catch his breath in his sore throat. Two beautiful emerald eyes staring worriedly down at him.

As he tried to sit up, he was instantly pushed down. "Don't you dare get up, Syaoran-kun!" Sakura scolded. "You stay until you get better!"

Too tired to retort, he lay back in the bed he was in. He realized that she had brought him to his room.

"A-Arigatou...for bringing me back here."

Sakura smiled brightly which caused him to blush. "No problem."

He lay there for awhile, his eyes almost too tried to keep open. The silence was comforting though. Having her near him seemed to slow down his aching body. But something was weird. He felt a growing guilt inside of him that wasn't his so that meant that it was Sakura's...

"Syaoran-kun, gomen ne..." Sakura suddenly blurted.

He looked at her like she was crazy. Why on earth was she apologizing? "What are you talking about?"

"I-I uh..." she smiled nervously. "Yesterday...in the rain after school...you got sick because of that didn't you?"

Syaoran looked at her for a second. This girl always put everything on her shoulders somehow, didn't she? Here he was with a fever because he had been the one running out in that rain and she was apologizing. Wow...she's...

...amazing.

He saw her almost let out a small gasp. He had just suddenly given her the best smile he had. But he can't help it. After all, she as the _first_ love he had ever had. She had stolen his heart...

...if only he could steal hers...

**TO BE CONTINUED **


	12. Observing

**Tied By Fate  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer:** I don't own, so please don't sue.

* * *

**Chapter 12:** Observing

Sakura closed her eyes and breathed in the morning sea air. It was day two of their mini cruise and she didn't want to leave the peaceful ocean. She never knew it would be this relaxing just standing here against the railing, feeling the gentle air on her face. It was the perfect weather too. It wasn't too hot, yet not too cool. Just perfect. She was so thankful that she had a chance to experience this.

Watching the clear ocean water, she sighed. She was dead tired. After taking care of Syaoran the night before and making sure that his fever had cooled down at least a bit, she had went to converse with the makers of the Trail's Trials. After all, they _had_ wanted to meet her. It would be rude not to go see them. When they finally stopped talking, laughing and having a good time, it was well past midnight. But it was not only that. She had lain in her bed, her mind in a deep muddle. Why? Because of the certain question that an amber eyed boy had asked...

"Why did he ask that?" she whispered to herself, knowing that she was alone in this part of the ship. "Why did he want to know?"

She didn't have a clue why he had asked that. But for some reason when she had answered that she _did_ love Yukito it felt really...

...wrong.

But wasn't it the truth? She'd been having all these fluttery feelings for him since they had met.

She couldn't have lied. Her heart jumped every time she sees him after all.

It was the truth. She loved Yukito.

...then why did it feel like she was lying?

-

"Oh! Good morning, Meiling!" Tomoyo said cheerily as she closed her bedroom door behind her. She had just finished changing and was about to go eat brunch when she had bumped into her new friend on her way.

Meiling grinned. "Hi! You just got up? Well Eriol's in the dining hall if you need him. I'm going to check up on Syaoran." The worried cousin frowned. "I can't believe him! Getting sick like that!"

The other girl giggled. "I hope he gets better soon. He might miss all the fun we'll have later! Well, see you later."

As she gave a short wave and started walking down the ship's hall, she heard Meiling giggle a bit.

"Have a good time with Eriol!"

Tomoyo grew red and turned around to see Meiling wink. Giving a slight smile, she nodded shakily and continued on her way.

"Boy..." she whispered to herself. "Am I _that_ obvious?"

-

_Cherry blossoms...he never knew how much the flower meant so much to him._

_They were floating gracefully from the bright pink trees above as a girl sat next to him. A silence came upon them, but a rather comfortable one. He couldn't remember when he had been this comfortable during a minute of silence.  
"My mother named me Sakura. She named me after one of her favorite flowers. That's why this place reminds me of her."_

_Her voice...the voice he so loved._

_"Okaa-san was the greatest. Everybody says so. She had long, beautiful silver hair, bright emerald eyes, was really cheerful, was loved by everyone and she was even a famous model. But, I heard she was a bit clumsy too."_

_A gentle short giggle._

_"Li, what's wrong? Why are you in pain?"_

_His heart almost stopped in its tracks as he saw her pained expression. He had done that. He had hurt her. Yet she was there, worrying about him._

_"Stop thinking about me and think about yourself, dammit!" __he heard himself yell._

_Her emerald eyes took on the look of concern. "B-But y-you're the one who's in greater pain..."_

Sakura...how could such a girl have such an effect on him? But then...

_"D-Do you...love Yukito?"_

_"Syaoran-kun, is something wr–"_

_"Answer the damn question! ANSWER!"_

_"Y-Yes! I-I...love him."_

_Did love have to be this cruel? If only she could be his. If only he could get her in his arms now and forever. If only she didn't love another man..._

"Sakura..."

The boy opened a tired eye and blinked as the sunlight streamed in through the window. Still blinking and delirious, he realized that he was in his bed with the curtains drawn away from the window, letting the light flood inside. He let out a small smile as he remembered what had happened the day before. Sakura had brought him here and had stayed by his side. Sakura...He savored the warm tingly feeling he got when he felt her guilt and concern bubbling inside him. But sadly, he also remembered what she had confessed before that had happened and his smile faded quickly. He sighed and sat up.

Wait. Weren't the curtains closed before?

A small movement caught the corner of his eye and he spotted Meiling clad in jeans and a white shirt. She was standing still near the door as she stared at him, a small pasted smile on her lips. What was she doing here?

"Meiling? What are you doing here?" he asked rubbing his eyes tiredly.

She gave a casual shrug and started towards the chair that Sakura had sat in just the night before. "Just wanted to check up on you, Syaoran," she said as she sat.

He nodded a silent thanks and looked down at the sheets. The atmosphere was tense for some reason as he contemplated on what to do next. He hated when he and Meiling had these weird uneasiness around them. It was almost impossible to think when a dear relative isn't her own active, energetic self. It was weird when she was subdued and quiet because he knew just how energetic and full of life she really was.

Was something wrong?

"Syaoran?" Meiling's voice broke through his thoughts.

"Yeah?" He was almost thankful. The tenseness was starting to get to him.

The small smile still on her face, she stared straight into his amber eyes, not even blinking once. After awhile she spoke again. "What is Sakura to you, Syaoran?" she asked in a very quiet voice.

Confused at her question, he raised an eyebrow. "What? Where'd this come from?"

"I-I heard you say her name right before you woke up," Meiling admitted softly.

"Oh," He bit his tongue, trying to figure out what to say. He couldn't just blurt out that he was in love with the Card Mistress. "Well...I..."

Just then Meiling stood, almost pushing the chair over. "Never mind. Forget I said that."

With that, she walked over to the door, closing it behind her slowly.

-

Water. Dark blue serene water. As far as the eye could see. It was quite peaceful...

And also...a bit dull.

Still clad in his pajama clothes, a white baggy shirt and black shorts, Eriol took a sip of his water, still gazing out the window. He was seated at a table in the dining hall. Looking around the highly ornate hall with bright lights and decorated furniture, he felt rather out of place in his shirt, shorts, and slippers. Oh well. No one was around anyway.

The cruise for him was going on rather fine...

...in other words, it was a complete bore.

It wasn't that he didn't _appreciate_ being invited. It was just boring so far. And that wasn't the only problem. He hadn't found a single way to bring Sakura and Syaoran closer yet. But he did know for sure now. He knew that Syaoran was _definitely_ in love with the Card Mistress. When he had talked to him yesterday, it was as obvious as daylight. The way Syaoran's eyes softened when Eriol had mentioned her name gave him all the clues he needed.

Li Syaoran was in love with a girl.

Eriol couldn't believe it. He had never thought the day would ever come. After all this was Li Syaoran. Listening to the waves against the boat, he gave a tiny smile. He was happy for him. _Extremely_ happy. Syaoran needed this. He needed _her_. Sakura was perfect for him. Eriol couldn't help but smirk a bit wider. His suspicions _had_ been right. Li Syaoran and Kinomoto Sakura _had _been destined to meet. Why they hadn't and how everything almost got messed up was still a mystery. But who cared. They were together now right?

Well...almost. There was still that fact that he didn't know what Sakura felt for his cute little descendant. If she didn't feel the same way...

...he could almost be certain that Syaoran would be even worse off than before.

Eriol hoped this to work for his descendant's fate. But he also knew he shouldn't butt into this. As Tomoyo had told him before, maybe Sakura will realize her feelings by herself. It would be better off that way. He knew one thing though. He needed Li Syaoran to be happy.

He owed him at least that. He still felt extremely guilty for leaving the poor kid to fend for himself after his father died. Eriol knew he should've helped but he had really thought that the whole independent thing was right for Syaoran back then. He thought that if Syaoran bore that responsibility by himself, he was set for life. But he was wrong. Everyone had been wrong. The plan had backfired and although they did have an extremely strong leader...

...they had a lonely and sorrowful Syaoran.

It was a good thing Syaoran had realized who his first love was now. Eriol could see how much he had changed for the better during the last few weeks. But hopefully, it would be his first and last love too. Otherwise, Eriol wasn't sure if Syaoran would be able to take another heartbreak. He didn't deserve it.

"Eriol!"

Blinking, he looked up and realized that Tomoyo was standing next to him, looking down at him with a small pout. "Oh! Good morning, precious."

He smiled as he spotted red on her cheeks. "H-Hey! No compliment will work for me right now! I've been calling your name for the past ten minutes, Eriol. What's wrong? You look like you've been thinking really hard," Tomoyo said as she took the seat across from Eriol.

He shrugged. "Just thinking about Syaoran and Sakura."

Tomoyo raised an eyebrow. Then, she picked at the half eaten bagel on Eriol's plate.

Eriol smiled. "Go on. Have it. I'm full anyway."

She smiled gratefully and began chewing on it. "Anyway," she said, "what were you saying? Something about Syaoran and Sakura?"

"Well, I've found out something very important, my dear. Li Syaoran is deeply in love with the one and only Kinomoto Sakura," he stated.

She almost dropped the bagel in shock. "Really! Are you serious? I knew it!" she said, grinning.

He nodded. "But what do we do now? We can't butt in remember?"

"Well, we might not be able to butt in...but no one ever said we couldn't help them out a _tiny_ bit," she said happily.

He smiled. He had figured she'd say that.

Tomoyo smiled even brighter. "The faster they admit they love each other, the faster everyone's happy, ne?"

Eriol nodded and leaned closer to her. "And the faster _I_ could admit my feelings to you..." he whispered so low that she almost didn't hear him.

Tomoyo stopped short and blushed. "I-I...umm..."

Getting up, Eriol adjusted his glasses that were slipping off his nose. "I'd better take a shower and change. I'll see you later, precious."

Tomoyo stared at the tablecloth as she listened to the sound of his slippers fading, the red still covering her cheeks. She couldn't believe he had just said that. She couldn't believe how happy she was feeling!

But why was he waiting until Syaoran and Sakura were together? Why couldn't he just tell her now? She wanted to hear him say it. She wanted to hear him say that he loved her. But she had to wait. He wanted to settle things with Sakura and Syaoran first. Why though?

She needed to remember to ask him that...

-

The gentle sea breeze blowing through her raven black hair, Meiling came up on deck to see nothing but the beautiful ocean. Breathing in, she smelled the relaxing sea scent and even smiled a little. She loved the ocean. It was incredible. She was really glad that she had been invited to this cruise even if it was with people she barely knew. It was still really amazing how open everyone here was to her when she had just intruded into their lives. So far, it had been really fun...except...

Sighing, her smile faded as she walked aimlessly towards the side railings of the boat. Feeling the cold metal on her arms as she leaned against it, she shivered. But it wasn't because she was feeling cold...

She could see it happening. Her most beloved one was swept away in love...and it wasn't who she had wanted it to be. Syaoran was in love with Sakura. It was plain as day. Dammit. Why did he have to come to Japan! She had him all to herself back in Hong Kong! _She_ had been the one who had always been there. _She _had been the one who he had talked to. _She_ had been the one to care and to love him! And he had never realized it! But yet, she kept on loving him, believing that he would come around and realize that he loved her after all. But why was it like this? Why did it have to be another girl he had fallen in love with?

Yet...Meiling couldn't hate her. She couldn't hate Kinomoto Sakura. Why? Maybe it had to do with the fact that Sakura was a genuinely nice person. If Sakura and Syaoran ever _did_ get together, she definitely wouldn't hurt him.

A wave of guilt flooded Meiling. Sakura definitely wouldn't be as selfish as she was being right now.

But she couldn't help it! She couldn't help loving him so much!

"Oh, hey Meiling!"

She jumped and turned. There was Sakura, smiling serenely at her. "H-Hey Sakura...I didn't see you there."

The auburn haired girl giggled. "Yeah I know. I didn't know anyone was here either. I was just headed back inside. It's getting pretty chilly up here."

Meiling nodded. "Yeah..."

Sakura's eyebrow rose. She could already sense that Syaoran was awake and had wanted to check up on him, but Meiling looked _really_, _really_ upset. Sakura decided to console her on whatever it was. Besides, she was Syaoran's cousin. She definitely knew that he would be unhappy to have a close cousin like Meiling all sad.

"Hey Meiling-chan, are you okay?" Sakura asked, leaning against the railing next to her friend, "You look...upset."

The Chinese girl blinked in surprise. This was the girl that had stolen her cousin's heart, the girl whom she should be loathing. "Yeah I'm okay...I'm just...worried about Syaoran."

Sakura's face softened. "Don't worry, he's awake now. But I can understand why you feel so upset. After all, he's really special to you, ne?"

Meiling stopped breathing. Did Sakura figure it out? "Wh-What do you mean?"

But the auburn-haired girl just shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought that since you two are cousins that you'd care about him a lot. Besides, you two seem really close." She gave a smile. "Don't worry, he's fine. He was just a little sick."

Meiling grinned a bit back. Sakura didn't know. That was a good thing...maybe. "Thanks..." Her face saddened, "You two seem really close, too."

Sakura felt a blush coming on and pushed it away. "Well, not really. Anyway, I'm going inside. Ja ne!"

Hearing her walk away, Meiling turned back to the ocean. See? Sakura was a really nice person. She couldn't hate her even if she tried.

-

Sakura frowned as she walked towards her bedroom. She felt so sad for Meiling! Just imagine. A close cousin of yours you haven't seen for quite a while suddenly gets sick and faints. It was all Sakura's fault, too! She was the reason why they had gone out into the rain that day! Sakura sighed as she slowly strolled down the empty hallway. Now she felt even guiltier. She made Syaoran sick and made Meiling sad. Boy, what a good friend she was.

"Boo!"

"Hoee!"

She whipped around, her heart beating fast and looked into the eyes of Eriol. Smiling, she calmed down a bit after the slight scare.

"Dear god...you scared the heck out of me, Eriol!" Sakura said.

Laughing, he apologized. "Sorry. I was on my way back to my room and saw you here walking like a zombie so I just had to scare you."

"Ha, ha. Very funny."

"Are you heading back to the rooms? I'll come with you."

Sakura smiled. "Just don't scare me anymore."

Eriol winked. "Gotcha."

They started walking slowly, taking their time. Hey, what was the rush, right? It was a time of relaxation, of having fun...

...and in Sakura's case, thinking.

She had to admit it. For some weird reason, she was anxious to see him. She still couldn't get yesterday out of her head. Why had he asked that? Sakura shook her head a bit. He was just delirious from his fever. That was it. That or he just simply wanted to know. He was just wondering. Everyone has a right to be curious, right?

Right?

Eriol eyed the woman that Syaoran loved from under his glasses. He wondered what she felt. After all, she's been hung up on Yukito ever since she met him. But then again, ever since Syaoran arrived, SAkura and Yukito haven't seen each other in awhile, have they? But he couldn't just bring it up. Maybe this was a time to use his excellent conversation skills to get a little out of her.

"So Sakura, why are you going back to the rooms? It's a pretty nice day outside, isn't it?" he asked. But secretly, he knew the reason. He had felt Syaoran's aura arouse from his sleep earlier as well.

Sakura turned to him, waking from her daydreams. "I felt him wake up," she simply said with a smile.

Eriol chuckled. "That must seem pretty odd to you still. The fact you can feel what he's feeling."

Sakura looked ahead, a small smile still on her face. "Actually...no. I've gotten used to the fact. Besides, it's kind of a good thing to know what he's feeling."

He blinked, startled. He never expected this kind of answer from her. "What do you mean? I thought you would hate having to know what someone's feeling all the time. I know I would hate it."

Sakura giggled. "Well, honestly I don't know what the heck I'm talking about. But...I guess it's because he doesn't show his emotions. When he's happy, he doesn't smile usually. And for some odd reason I like knowing when he's happy." She laughed out loud. "I have no idea what I'm talking about. I must sound like an idiot."

All her friend did was give her a big grin. She didn't sound like an idiot to Eriol at all. Well maybe, just maybe, an idiot falling in love, but one cannot make assumptions just yet. This was interesting...

The girl sighed. "But lately he's been keeping them hidden from me. It's like he's put up a shield to block me from knowing his emotions," she looked at Eriol. "You think it's because he hates me? I know he said that in the beginning, but I thought we were getting on good terms recently. It's like he's trying to avoid me now."

And that honestly wasn't a very good feeling. To think that Li Syaoran hated her was somehow...saddening?

"Sakura," he said giving a reassuring smile, "Don't worry about it much. He doesn't hate you. Trust me. I know."

The dense Card Mistress cocked her head to one side as they stopped walking. They were outside their rooms, their destination. "Hoe?"

Eriol smirked and reached for his room's doorknob. "You'll see...soon I hope." Twisting the knob, he entered the room and disappeared.

An eyebrow raised, Sakura shrugged his comment aside and turned to the fateful door which had the name " Li Syaoran" written on it. She could feel his deep aura emitting from behind and knew she should've entered instead of standing out there and staring at a door like a fool. But for some reason she was stuck in her place and the door looked pretty scary. She didn't feel like facing him anymore.

"I-I'll just talk to him later," she mumbled. "Th-There's always later. Right?"

Then right when she was about to turn, the ominous door suddenly opened and out walked who else but Li Syaoran.

He stopped suddenly and stared in surprise at the girl in front of him. "S-Sakura!" He certainly didn't expect to see her waiting outside his door. His eyes tried to avoid her as he saw she was wearing a white tank top and mini pink skirt. And boy...did that mini skirt do her good. Realizing what he was thinking, he silently scolded himself and stood there stiffly. Yet, as hard as he could, he couldn't stop staring at her.

Oh dear God...what did that girl do to him? He never thought this way before about anyone...

"Umm...I-I just wanted to know if you were okay..." she stuttered, trying not to notice that he was staring straight at her.

"Well, I-I'm good."

Damn. He sounded like a dork.

Sakura blushed and looked at her flip flops on her feet. This was so stupid. Why were they acting so flustered all of a sudden? This was so stupid...but in a way...funny.

_...Really_ funny.

It was hard to explain, but you the know when there's an awkward silence and you have to laugh? Sakura tried keep this feeling in, but the Card Mistress suddenly burst out in fits of sudden laughter, having to grab her stomach because it ached.

Syaoran watched her laughing and after only a second, it got contagious. He started chuckling and soon he was laughing almost as hard as Sakura.

After a minute of endless laughter, it died down slowly and the two looked at each other, tears in their eyes.

-

Meiling couldn't get it out of her head. The idea of Syaoran with someone. The idea of Syaoran being happy with someone else. She was in a daze as she came below deck and almost walked straight into an amethyst eyed girl.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Tomoyo!" Meiling apologized.

But the other girl laughed. "Don't worry about it. Hey I was thinking of going for a swim. Come with me? First I have to get my stuff."

Meiling nodded with a small smile on her lips. This girl was too nice sometimes. "Sure. It's better than staring off into the ocean all day."

They started down the hall in silence, listening to their footsteps against the boat's floor. Tomoyo thought the silence to be very suspicious of the usually energetic girl and of course she figured something was wrong. Could it possibly have something to do with Syaoran?

"Meiling?" Tomoyo started with a comforting voice, "Is something wrong?"

Meiling looked at her new friend almost grateful that she was worried. Yet she couldn't have Tomoyo worry about such a simpleton like herself. "No, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"But you look so sad..."

She let out a fake giggle. "O-Of course not. Me? Sad?"

"Does this have something to do with Syaoran?"

Meiling blinked in shock. "Wh-What! Of course not!" Was it obvious? Did Eriol and Sakura know too? Oh God... Did everyone know?

Tomoyo just smiled cheerily and didn't speak.

The ruby eyed girl sighed as she looked ahead and stopped walking, her sadness taking over her again. "Tomoyo, is there something going on between Syaoran and Sakura...?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Tomoyo stopped walking as well and looked at the girl sadly. Meiling was looking down, hiding her eyes behind her long black hair. Did this girl...like Syaoran?

Before she could say anything comforting they suddenly heard people laughing as if they couldn't stop. They both looked ahead and realized that Syaoran and Sakura were both laughing their heads off together.

Meiling looked on with shock. His face... He was laughing! He was...happy. It made her heart soar to see him smiling when she had never thought that he would ever laugh. But the small smile on her face disappeared. Was he only this happy...with Sakura? Throughout their whole childhoods they had been together, like best friends. But never had she ever seen him like this...

Meiling and Tomoyo stood there watching the scene and for some reason Syaoran and Sakura didn't notice them.

"Come on, Meiling," Tomoyo said as the two ahead of them slowly stopped laughing. "We shouldn't listen to their conversation."

However Meiling stood there, her heart breaking by slowly seeing him so happy with her.

She didn't know that the conversation Sakura and Syaoran would soon have would confuse and break her heart even more.

-

Chuckling, the amber eyed boy tried to calm down. "What was that? Why'd you start cracking up on me?"

Sakura gave him a gorgeous, bright smile that made his heart melt. "Honestly I don't know. But it seemed kind of funny. We were both nervous and stuttering."

"Now that I think about it, it _was_ pretty funny."

She nodded, the smile still on her face. "Why were we all nervous like that anyway?" Shaking her head slowly, she continued. "Anyway, I felt you wake up and wanted to check up on you."

His eyes suddenly widened when she said she had felt him. "Felt me wake up! Did you feel anything else?"

Sakura looked at him curiously because of his rushed, worried voice. "No. I only felt your aura waken when you woke, not your emotions. Why?"

He sighed and calmed down. Good. She didn't feel any of his feelings. So his magic hadn't failed keeping the shield up even while he was sick. If it had, Sakura would've known he had been thinking about her...

...all night.

Laughing nervously, he shrugged. "Oh no, it's nothing. Don't worry about it." Feeling her confusion swelling up in him, he gave a smile and added, "Let's go and have some food. I'm starving."

Sakura nodded, still looking at him in bafflement. Then they were about to walk down the hall, they noticed Tomoyo and a confused Meiling standing some feet from of them.

"Oh hey you guys," Sakura said nervously. "How long have you been standing there?"

But Meiling didn't waste any time. She was confused and wanted her damn questions answered. _Felt_? _Emotions_? What the fuck were they talking about?

"What the hell are you guys talking about?"

Tomoyo, Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other in nervousness. Oh yeah, that's right. Meiling didn't know about the connection between Sakura and Syaoran.

"Hey! Answer me! What are you guys hiding from me?" she shouted, looking at the guilty faces of the three.

They all turned when a nearby door opened and out came Eriol, looking confused. "What's all the noise? I heard a girl shouting." He saw an enraged Meiling looking at Syaoran and Sakura and a worried Tomoyo. The air was tense and he figured that something was up.

Ignoring the blue haired guy, Meiling continued staring at Sakura and Syaoran. One thing she hated was being left out of things. And she definitely was being left out of something big here. Why would Syaoran hide something? Why wouldn't he tell her?

Syaoran knew his cousin hated being left out of things and felt guilty about not telling her. But he didn't want her to know. If she did, she would eventually guess that he was falling – no already in love with the Card Mistress. And that...wasn't a good thing.

"Meiling, I would've told you earlier but-"

"Why didn't you then, Syaoran! Ever since you left home you've been so different! I don't like you keeping things from me. We've never kept anything from each other, Syaoran..." she said. It was the truth. Ever since childhood, they had told each other every single thing. And now...honestly she felt she was being pushed away. "It's because I have no magic, isn't it?" she said almost in tears, "You've found friends here that are much more valuable to you than me."

That was it. Meiling wasn't good enough for him in the first place because she had no magical powers like everyone else. But it wasn't only the magic now...it was the fact he had found someone that was more valuable than her. Sakura.

Syaoran's shook his head as he desperately tried to explain. "No, no Meiling. It's not that."

Before things got worse, Sakura stepped in. "I'm sorry for keeping it from you, Meiling. You should have a right to know. I'm not even sure why we didn't tell you. I guess it just slipped our minds."

"Of course it did," the Chinese girl said bitterly. "Everything that has to do with me and magic slips everyone's minds."

They wouldn't ever think of telling her something important that has to do with magic. Even when everyone found out that the Clow Cards had been released, she had probably been the last to know.

"Don't say that," Tomoyo said sadly. She couldn't help but think about how the girl must feel. To have no magic and be in such a magic based family...wow harsh. Think of the disappointment that was put on her shoulders. The pressure. The need to keep up with everyone else in her family.

"Meiling," Clow Reed's reincarnation said as calm as always, "Don't put yourself down all the time. We're sorry we didn't tell you before. I will explain things now though."

Meiling, still hot headed and upset that no one bothered to tell her right away, tapped her foot impatiently. "Well you _better_ hurry up!" she said, "I feel so stupid being the one left out."

"Well you see, Syaoran and Sakura here...are magically connected."

The ruby eyed girl raised an eyebrow. What the fuck was he talking about? "Huh?"

Syaoran sighed. He might as well get it over with now. "Sakura and I can feel each other's emotions."

Sakura looked at the ground sheepishly as Meiling's eyes widened. Did Meiling just hear that correctly? "What do you mean?"

"Umm...I can feel whatever he's feeling...and he can feel whatever I'm feeling."

Silence enveloped them.

Meiling stood there shaking. This girl...this Card Mistress was closer to Syaoran than she could ever be. She didn't even know the full details either but she knew this was a big thing. A really big thing. The two would probably get closer because of this "magical connection" as Eriol called it. And by the looks of it, Sakura had already stolen his heart. Syaoran's heart. The heart that Meiling had tried to win ever since they were young. She knew it. She of all people could tell when Syaoran, changed or not, is in love with someone. That girl had taken what she had longed for in life. Yet, she couldn't hate Sakura. There was no contempt for her, no hatred. It was probably because this Sakura girl had changed Syaoran so much. She had turned him into a smiling, laughing person. Meiling couldn't be any happier that Syaoran was finally happy and content with life. But still...Sakura had taken him...

No words could explain how sorrowful the Chinese girl felt. How heartbroken and jealous. Noticing that everyone was waiting for her to speak, she simply said whatever she could utter from her mouth.

"Oh."

It was a simple word. It could've been used in any position if you think about it.

But it was funny...that simple word didn't even come close to how she was really feeling.

Rejection.

**TO BE CONTINUED **


	13. A Sudden Leave

**Tied By Fate  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer: **I do not own CCS or any of the characters.

* * *

**Chapter 13:** A Sudden Leave

"Hey Li-kun," Tomoyo smiled as the tired Li Leader walked over to Eriol and her sitting at a table. Taking a seat, he rubbed his amber eyes and starting putting some food on his plate. They were in the dining hall, and it was day three of their little vacation. They hadn't really didn't done anything exciting, but _all_ of them got to think about...certain things on their minds. It wasn't a time for fun as they had all hoped. It was more like a time to relax and ponder.

They ate in silence as if the incident yesterday was still in the back of their minds. They were all thinking about it...and they felt guilty.

"Syaoran..." Eriol started. "About Meiling. I didn't tell her about you and Sakura having that connection because...well..."

Eriol looked to Tomoyo with a pleading look in his eyes. They had been discussing it before Syaoran had come in and had decided it was right to tell Syaoran why exactly they hadn't told Meiling. For Eriol and Tomoyo, it hadn't slipped their minds at all. Something had caught their eye and if they had told Meiling, she would've been...heartbroken.

"Li-kun," Tomoyo tried. "I think what Eriol is trying to say is that we think...we think Meiling...loves you."

There. She had said it. Eriol and Tomoyo sucked in their breaths and awaited Syaoran's shocked expression to come to view.

But it didn't come. They had only succeeded to cause him to look even more miserable and guilty.

"I know," he said softly.

Eriol and Tomoyo's eyes grew wide. He knew!

"Don't look so surprised," Syaoran said softly. "I've known ever since we were little. She's a great person. Caring and energetic seems to describe her. I know that she...loves me. B-But I...I don't-"

Eriol looked at him sadly. "-love her back."

Syaoran nodded, looking down at his food. "I care for her a lot. But...only as a sister. I wish she would see that I'm not the one for her, that there's some other guy that she deserves who'll love her and care for her much more than I ever will. I'm not the one for her. I feel guilty but it's true. I can't bring myself to love someone I only care for as a sister." Suddenly, he seemed to realize what he was saying and he turned red and looked away. "God I'm sorry. Since when did I talk so much anyway?" he grumbled.

Tomoyo smiled. "Hmm...I wonder."

With a groan, Syaoran turned pink and said, "Don't start this subject again, Daidouji-san. It's hard enough to just think about it. I know you know. That little idiot Hiiragazawa probably told you by now."

Eriol grinned as Tomoyo giggled. "You know, Li-kun, I think you should tell her," the raven haired girl said. "It'll be hard, but you'll be happier that she knows. And she'll probably love you back."

Syaoran raised an eyebrow. "A-Are you crazy! I can't do that! Not after-"

He stopped in mid-sentence, the memory of two days ago returning...the memory he's been trying to get rid of.

_"Y-Yes! I-I...love him."_

Syaoran growled and practically jumped from the table in anger. Dammit. Why'd everything bad have to happen to him? Why did his dad have to die so horribly? Why did he have to become leader of such a big clan at such a young age? Why did the girl who he loved, the one who had changed him to be a better person...

...love another man.

"Li-kun! Gomen ne!" Tomoyo said as she was about to jump from the table as well. She didn't know what she had done, but she had obviously sparked a memory in his head. A bad memory. She felt so guilty. She didn't mean to do anything that would upset him.

She felt a hand on her shoulder before she started running towards Syaoran stalking out of the dining hall.

"Tomoyo, don't worry about it. It's not your fault. Something we didn't know probably happened between them," Eriol answered gently.

Tomoyo sighed and nodded. But before Syaoran had completely walked out of the room, she wanted to make sure he heard something first. Something very important that has been upsetting Sakura ever since the start of this trip.

"Li-kun! You better start to be open with your feelings again! I know you've been hiding them with your magic so that Sakura wouldn't feel what you feel! I know what you're trying to do! Maybe you shouldn't hide anymore, and just be open to her! You're upsetting her, you know. She thinks you hate her because you're hiding your feelings!" she yelled.

Syaoran had stopped walking. He didn't turn to look at Tomoyo but she knew he had heard. And he had heard good.

As much as he wanted to be open to her... "I can't...she can't find out..." Syaoran whispered to himself as he walked out of the dining hall.

-

With a soft click, the emerald eyed girl yawned as she closed her bedroom door. Clad in her light pink pajamas, a furry robe and slippers, she rubbed her eyes as she started towards the dining hall. She hadn't slept all night. She just couldn't get the guilty feeling that she had when she thought about what happened with Meiling yesterday. She knew they should've all told her. But it had simply slipped her mind. However...that wasn't the only thing nagging at her. She couldn't explain it but she had felt like it was a _good_ thing if Meiling didn't find out. That if the Chinese girl did find out about the "connection" she had with Syaoran, Meiling would feel somehow really upset...like she is now.

Sakura shook her head and gave a small, tired grin. That was a stupid idea. Why would Meiling get really upset? Besides the fact that Syaoran was keeping things from her, Meiling wouldn't care if they had this little "connection." Meiling was only upset that Syaoran was keeping secrets. After all, they were quite close relatives. They must have told each other a lot of things.

If she only knew how right the nagging feeling was. But, let's carry on.

Walking in slow, almost drunken steps, she ambled her way until she heard other footsteps in the hall. She looked up and stopped in her tracks.

Syaoran.

He stopped too when he realized there was someone in front of him. That was when Sakura gave him a sleepy smile. "Good morning! You just come back from breakfast?"

He nodded slowly. "E-Eriol and Tomoyo are there..."

"Arigato! At least I won't be eating alone."

She watched as his face expression changed somehow, almost nervous-like. She frowned a tiny bit. He was _still_ keeping his feelings from her. The only clue she had in finding out what emotions he was hiding was his facial expressions. And she sucked at reading expression. Heck, she couldn't even read lips that good.

"Well...I'm gonna go. Ja ne. Tomoyo said that we should go swimming in the afternoon together again. Then we're going to meet with her mother and just relax. Nice way to end a trip, ne?"

"Hai."

Giving one last, sad smile, Sakura started towards the dining hall once again. Once out of Syaoran's view, she sighed. Why was he keeping secrets? Why wasn't he opening up anymore?

At last Syaoran's heart beat seemed to slow as he silently watched the girl walk away. He knew he had been rather shy to her than he usually was – not that he was shy anymore. It was just that what Daidouji had said stuck to his mind...

_"...you should tell her."_

Whatever. That won't ever happen. But still, he _wanted _to tell her. He wanted her to know. But...he couldn't. She loved someone else and that was that.

Rubbing the back of his head, he frowned a bit. He had definitely noticed the sudden mood change she had while they were talking. One second she was chattering away like her usual self and then the next she was emitting an expression of sorrow. Was it because she noticed that he was hiding something? Was Daidouji telling the truth? Did she really think he hated her?

He had to talk to her. A frown definitely doesn't suit that girl.

-

A body lay limply under a mass of covers as she sighed through the darkness of the room. The curtains had been drawn, the lights turned off. She didn't feel in a bright mood today. She just lay there, her ruby eyes piercing through the dreary atmosphere, not even moving her body an inch. She didn't want to get up. She didn't want to go get breakfast. She didn't want to see everyone else. She wanted to stay put here forever.

Her eyes wandered to the digital clock on her bedside table. It was around noon. She couldn't believe it. She knew she could be lazy, but this was crazy! She had been awake half the night after all. It was an amazing thing actually. She hadn't gotten enough sleep yet she wasn't tired. Her mind was running, running with the thoughts of Syaoran.

Meiling was a big mess. She knew it, too. Her new friends probably knew it too. After all, they hadn't seen her since the day before. She didn't care though. She didn't care about anything.

After all, the thing that she _did _care about didn't seem to care for her anyway. Why would she care? Why should she?

The thing was, she didn't want to care about him anymore. Not after finding out that someone else had made such an impact in his life. Not after realizing that the person who had changd him was the girl Syaoran loved.

Meiling didn't want to care about him anymore...but the sad thing was...she still did.

And it hurt like hell.

Suddenly two loud knocks were heard. It had broken her tense atmosphere that she had grown accustomed to. She growled at the person at her door as she buried herself into her covers more. "What the hell do you want?" came the muffled voice.

"Meiling, please open the door. You need to eat," came a soft voice. It was Tomoyo.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not hungry."

"Please?" Tomoyo pleaded.

Meiling didn't respond. Hopefully Tomoyo would get the picture and go away. But then she heard muttering from the other side and in one simple second, the locked door had become unlocked. Light streamed in the room as two figures came in. Eriol and Tomoyo.

Meiling groaned. "Aww...that's no fair, Eriol."

Eriol gave a small grin as he closed the door, making the room dark once again. "Sorry. This Angel was requesting it."

Tomoyo blushed in the darkness as she went over to the bed and sat with a tray of food on her lap. "Meiling," she said gently, "We're worried about you. We haven't seen you all day. You have to eat."

The girl shrugged and buried herself under the covers again. "No thank you."

Tomoyo looked to Eriol for help and he sighed. "Meiling...we know that you love him. It is quite obvious."

Wow Eriol was always straight to the point, wasn't he? But Meiling didn't answer. She didn't know what to say.

"But you must know something that Tomoyo and I have been keeping from you, Syaoran, and Sakura."

Two ruby eyes suddenly appeared slightly. "You mean aside from the whole...thing?"

Eriol nodded. "Yes aside from the _connection_ that they have between themselves. You see Meiling, I have a theory and I think I am quite right. The reason they have the _connection_ in the first place is because...well basically, they're soul mates."

Meiling's eyes widened. "What?"

"Well it's a long story but I think that in actuality, Syaoran was supposed to meet the Card Mistress when the Cards were release those few years ago. But because of his father's death, he couldn't come. However, because it was destiny they were supposed to meet, they developed this kind of _bond_ between themselves. They could feel each others emotions. They had visions and dreams of each other. This _bond_ was obviously meant to being them together."

Tomoyo and Eriol looked sadly at the girl who was keeping her eyes glued on the bed covers. They were quickly filling with tears. Tears of sadness.

"So basically, they're meant to meet. They're _destined_ to meet...and could I guess why?" came her chocked voice.

The other two in the room were silent. It was obvious that Meiling knew the answer.

"They're destined to...fall in love."

"I'm sorry Meiling," Eriol said quietly, "I was the one to bring him here. I couldn't stand seeing him how he was. I was hoping that my theory _was_ correct and that he would be a different man. I...didn't mean for your heart to break in return..."

Suddenly, the tears overflowed and she was sobbing into the bed covers. She let it out. She had been holding it in all this time. She _had_ to let it out now. But she didn't care that Tomoyo and Eriol were with her. She was actually thankful that Eriol had told her why Syaoran was here in the first place.

"How come I seem to love him so much? Why did it have to be her that changed him? If they were meant for each other, then who in the world am I meant for? The only one I really cared for was Syaoran! I was the only one who understood him! Me! I was there with him the whole time! When Uncle died...when everyone was pressuring him... Yet...it wasn't me he fell in love with. And I can't even bring myself to hate Sakura! She's such a good person! I can't. I don't know what to do!"

Tomoyo, putting the tray on the bedside table, put her arm on Meiling to comfort her. She looked at Eriol who now looked as if he had nothing else to say. Sobs filled the silent air as Meiling just let her tears flow. Tomoyo sighed as she tried to console the poor girl. Meiling was innocent. She had simply fallen in love with someone like anyone else would have done. But he didn't love her back and they weren't made for each other. How was Meiling ever going to come back from all this? But Tomoyo knew for sure that there had to be _someone_ out there for Meiling. Just as Li-kun had said, she deserved someone who'll love and care for her.

"There's no one out there for _me_! No one!"

Tomoyo shook her head as she looked Meiling in the eye. "You're wrong. There's someone out there. And you'll probably be in even more love with him than with Li-kun. And the best thing is...he'll love you too."

-

Sakura contentedly flipped the page of the magazine she was reading as she scanned the pictures of beautiful movie stars and the latest celebrity gossip. She would hate being someone as popular as they were. Imagine people you don't even know gossiping about you, contradicting you or even hating you. She knew not all people were haters. There were the many fans celebrities had. But still, if you were to get into a relationship, all eyes would be on you. Sakura almost laughed aloud. She had enough trouble telling the boy she liked her feelings.

Her eyes widened and she dropped the glass of water she had been drinking.

She couldn't believe it. As soon as she had that thought, an image of Syaoran appeared.

But why him?

Suddenly, she was pushed slightly from behind and nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Scared you?" Syaoran smirked as he took the seat next to her.

She had been sitting quietly on deck beside the pool. Luckily she hadn't been that surprised otherwise she would've jumped right into the water in front of her. She giggled. "Don't do that!"

He just shrugged, a slight smile on his lips. Then he spotted the empty glass of water about to roll away and picked it up. "Guess you weren't thirsty?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, no," she said with a nervous grin. "Just dropped it by accident." Sakura had to hide her blush as hard as she could. She couldn't let him know that she had been thinking about the person she liked and his image pops up! What would he think!

But hard as she tried, he noticed and grew even more suspicious as he felt nervousness and almost embarrassment coming from her. Was he missing something? Deciding not to say anything, he sat there in the awkward silence.

Then he remembered why he had come to her in the first place. "Sakura..." he started.

"Yes?"

He had a serious yet almost sullen look to his face and she immediately knew something was up. "About this bond thing..."

Sakura's face fell. So he wanted to talk about this? Was he going to tell her that he hated it and that was reason why he was hiding his emotions all this time? Her heart suddenly felt heavy and she looked at her lap. She understood why he could hate it so much...but she had just thought that maybe...it was bringing them closer.

Syaoran of course noticed, especially since that a feeling of sorrow suddenly replaced her other feelings. "Hey what's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Don't worry about it," she said as she looked up at him and passed a smile on her face. "Go on. You were saying something?"

He still knew that something was wrong and was still looking at her suspiciously. But he obeyed and continued what he was saying. He had to finish what he started. Besides, he wanted to clear this whole thing up with her. Daidouji had said that Sakura thought he hated her because he hid his feelings from her. It had been bothering him all day and so he had finally gotten the courage to go talk to her. "I...I know that you haven't been able to..._feel_ any emotions from me lately. I just want you to know that it isn't meant to mock or hurt you. I-I'm just confused about some of my feelings right now. And I...I guess I just wanna figure it out for myself, okay?"

She blinked in confusion. She hadn't been expecting that at all. "So...you aren't mad at me? You don't hate me?"

Syaoran chuckled. So it was true after all. She did feel that. How ironic that she might think he hated her...when really he loved her way beyond his own understanding. "Of course not."

A burst of happiness hit him as she suddenly jumped and hugged him tightly. He blushed like a maniac and stiffly hugged back. She was so...warm.

A bright smile on her face, she clung onto him still. "I was so worried that you didn't like me or something!"

"O-Of course not."

After the girl had stopped laughing with joy, they just kind of stayed there and an air of comfort seemed to take over. They were frozen in each other's arms like statues. The only thing was that their hearts were beating like crazy.

"So...umm..." Sakura said as she pulled away slightly to look into his amber eyes. "You should tell me what you're so confused about. Maybe I could help out?"

He looked at her pretty face in shock. She wanted to help? Why?

He had the sudden urge to just tell her. To just say "Because I think I love you" and scream it to the whole world. He didn't care if she liked someone. He would say it over and over and over again. Kinomoto Sakura is the name of his first and only love! He wanted to pronounce it, tell everyone about it, tell all those stupid boys to stay away. He felt his magic shield that hid his emotions slipping as he just continued staring at her pondering eyes. Then he got that sudden urge to feel those small lips against his, against his body.

"Sakura..." he began with a slurred, deep voice. "I-"

"Hey Sakura! Guess wha-"

Syaoran and Sakura turned and immediately let go of each other, both bright pink. A stunned Tomoyo stood there, a camcorder in one hand.

She couldn't believe it. They were...holding each other! And she had gotten some of it on tape! "KAWAII!"

Two other figures came up behind her as she yelled in delight.

"What's wrong?" Eriol asked. Meiling looked on with interest, a smirk on her face.

Suddenly upon seeing the raven haired Chinese girl, Sakura forgot about the current situation and jumped from her seat. "Meiling-chan!" she cried happily. "You're out!"

Meiling nodded as Sakura hugged her. Smiling, she said, "Eh...got tired of sleeping. Besides it's our last day! Let's do a little bit of swimming!"

That was when Sakura noticed that the three that had just arrived were all dressed in their bathing suits as Eriol carried the towels. Sakura smiled and nodded. "I'll go change!"

As she ran away, Tomoyo was crying out to Eriol the same word, "KAWAII!" over and over again as he laughed and tried to calm her down to see what was the matter with her. As for the Li cousins, Meiling walked past the man whom she had loved and with a big, Meiling-sized grin, winked at him before jumping into the warm pool.

As for Syaoran, he was still frozen in shock and nervousness. Shock because Meiling seemed to be her regular self again and nervous because...

...he had almost let out his little secret.

-

"Well Sakura-chan," Sonomi said as she gave a little hug. "I hope you and your friends enjoyed the trip!"

It was evening and they were finally on land again. Their cruise had ended and here they were at the dock. They hadn't done much on the boat except for relaxing and swimming in the pool, but all of them seemed to be bonded closer together. Even Meiling felt that way, and she was the newest member of the little group of friends.

Sakura hugged her aunt back. "Of course we had fun! It was terrific!"

Sonomi smiled and nodded. "I'm glad."

Eriol and Syaoran were packing the luggage into the truck of a limo. Seems like they were heading home in style too! As for Meiling and Tomoyo, they were chatting and laughing, recalling the day's events when the girls verse the guys in pool volleyball and won.

"Well, it's time to go! Hop in. The limo will take all of you guys home," Sonomi said as she too slid inside the roomy car. She beamed. "I feel like I know all of you now as well as your parents know you guys! I'm glad Sakura and Li-kun picked all of you."

The gang smiled and one by one entered the car after saying their farewells to the crew members and the "Trail's Trials" executives who had joined them in the cruise. Only three more people had to slide into the limo: Eriol, Tomoyo and Meiling. Just when Eriol and Tomoyo were about to hop in the car, Meiling stopped them. "Hey, wait you two..."

They looked at her. "Yeah? What is it?" Eriol asked.

The Chinese girl looked at the ground. "Well...I-I just wanted to thank you two for getting me out of my depression and for comforting me." She looked away, tears in her eyes. "I-It's not like my feelings for him just disappeared. In fact, they are still very much there. But I..." She sighed and forced a smile. "I guess you guys helped me learn that sometimes life doesn't go your way. To make someone happy doesn't necessarily mean you have to be in their life. I'm just happy that he's happy," she finished with a whisper.

Tomoyo smiled and Eriol patted the girl's shoulder. "Oh, Meiling. We didn't do a thing," Tomoyo said.

Eriol smiled sadly. "I'm just sorry that things aren't going your way...and I'm still sorry for not telling you about it earlier." He looked genuinely sorry as he stared at Meiling. He had known her for awhile and never before had she said anything like this. "Do you forgive me?"

Meiling laughed – something she missed doing, and hugged both of them happily. "Of course you idiot!"

"Hey guys!" Sakura yelled from inside the limousine. "We're about to leave!"

The three hurried into the car and shut the door. They started to drive away.

Sakura giggled. "What were you guys talking about?" she asked. "You stayed out there for a long time! And it was _freezing_!"

"Oh," Meiling said slyly. "We were scheming a way to hook two of our friends up."

She, Eriol and Tomoyo instantly starting laughing as Syaoran blushed deeply.

Meanwhile, a confused Sakura looked on with confusion. "Hoee?"

-

A loud chirping came to his ears as he groaned. Damn birds. Why'd they have to be up so early?

Syaoran opened one sleepy eye to look at his alarm clock. It was six thirty in the morning. He was still extremely tired. That cruise had worn him out especially with the swimming yesterday. And today they had school. Dammit.

Forcing himself up, he wobbled over to his door. He couldn't get back to sleep anyway. Might as well have breakfast.

As soon as he opened it, a pleasant aroma came to his senses. He took it in and sighed. Was Meiling awake already? No way. Meiling was _not_ an early bird.

He walked into the kitchen of his apartment, the source of the sweet smell. A woman was at the stove, just finishing up some pancakes. Syaoran was shocked. So she really _was_ awake! It was weird to see her awake and making breakfast.

Meiling turned, sensing someone behind her as she turned off the stove. Finally! She had done it! She had made pancakes! This time, it didn't burn! Well, this definitely wasn't like baking a cake, but it was close. At least she knew she wasn't all that bad at cooking food besides those Chinese specialties. " Ohayo Syaoran!" she greeted happily. "You're up early."

Her cousin took a seat at the table, scratching the back of his head as he yawned. "I should say the same to you. Meiling, you were never an early bird."

She laughed as she dropped some pancakes on an empty plate in front of him and poured him some orange juice. "Well, couldn't sleep well. Besides, I still got a bit of jet lag in me even though my flight from Hong Kong was a few days ago." She yawned as she got a breakfast ready for herself too. She knew that jet lag was an excuse but was hoping Syaoran wouldn't see through it. The reason she couldn't sleep was because _he_ was plaguing her mind all night. She had nightmares of being alone for the rest of her life and decided that staying up would be much better than sleeping and getting another nightmare.

They started eating their breakfast in silence, listening to the birds already up and about. Their forks clinked against their plates as they both had something on their minds. Syaoran was wondering about how different she was acting. She was still the same...yet different somehow. She seemed...rather calmer actually. It probably had something to do with the incident on the cruise. "Meiling."

She looked up from her plate. "Hm?" she asked with a huge piece of pancake in her mouth.

"You seem..." He looked at her expression carefully. "...different."

Meiling blinked. "Huh? How?"

Well for one thing, she hadn't hugged him out of nowhere or clung onto his arm or anything like that since the first day she got here. But he decided not to tell her that. "You just are."

The girl grinned and shrugged. "I'm just tired. I'll perk up later. Don't worry about it." She didn't want to talk to him about this. She would talk to anyone else...just not him. Hopefully, he didn't see through her lies.

"Fine..." Syaoran said. He didn't want to push it further than it was. Besides, she seemed stiff, as if she didn't want to talk about it at all. "I'm here to talk to if you need me though."

Meiling nodded with a smile. He was still as caring as ever.

"You still seem distant though. We'll call Sakura and the others after school. They can probably cheer you up more than I ever could," he said as he starting eating again. "Oh. I think Sakura was talking about shopping or something. Said she wanted show you the shops around here."

The girl smiled sadly as she watched him talk about Kinomoto Sakura. It seemed as if he was somehow happier just by saying her name. It still hurt Meiling. It hurt a lot. But she hid it well, knowing it was for the best. Fate wanted this to happen. Fate didn't want Li Syaoran and Li Meiling to love each other.

"Meiling?" he said, snapping her out of her reverie. "You okay?" He had noticed her staring at him with a sorrowful grin on her face.

"You like Sakura," she blurted quietly, the same small smile on her face. "You like her a lot."

Syaoran stopped moving, his fork in midair. A shocked expression on his face, he felt the blood rising to his cheeks. How the hell had Meiling found out? Was it obvious? Did Eriol or Tomoyo tell her? Would Sakura find out too? "W-What?"

Meiling forced herself to smile brighter as she saw Syaoran blush. "I knew it!" she exclaimed with fake happiness.

The Li Leader was blushing like mad. "How'd you-"

"Oh please, Syaoran," she said, taking a sip from her orange juice. "It's as plain as day!" She squealed. "That's so _cute_!"

"Meiling," he replied. "Don't make such a huge deal out of-"

"Nonsense. She's your first love and you expect me not to go ballistic?" his cousin asked. "So, give me details! When did you find out? Does she feel the same? Did you tell her? When are you going to tell her?"

Syaoran nearly jumped. "I-I _can't_ tell her!" he sputtered. "It's totally out of the question!" He couldn't believe this. He couldn't believe he was talking to Meiling about this out of all people. Didn't she...like him? Maybe he had been wrong about thinking that she did?

"And why not?" she replied with a frown. "You should tell her...and soon. Watch. Some other guy will claim her before you get to."

He growled, feeling jealousy well up in his chest. She was right. Some other man was going to claim the Card Mistress...Yukito. "Meiling! I don't want to talk about this!" Then he swallowed the rest of his breakfast whole, causing Meiling to crack up in laughter. Afterward, he put the dirty dishes in the sink and walked angrily to his room. "I'm going to get ready for school," he said.

Meiling's laughter subsided. "Okay."

Before entering his bedroom, she heard him yell. "Oh yeah. Later after school we can go over to the school to get your uniform and get you registered. You said you're staying here for awhile right?"

The girl froze. That's right. She had been planning to stay here for a couple of months and had told Syaoran when she first arrived that she was going to go to the same school as he once she got registered. But now...she wasn't sure if she wanted to stay in Japan. It wasn't that it wasn't a nice place. In fact, she thought it was beautiful. But she couldn't see how she would survive here with...Syaoran loving someone else.

She definitely couldn't stay here. She would run. No one had to know. She had some money to call a cab anyway. Then, she could pay for the flight back to Hong Kong under her mother's name. That was the plan. She was leaving...for good.

"Oh...y-yeah sure!" she yelled back nervously.

She heard the door shut and stared down at her breakfast. Tears started forming. She knew she couldn't stay here. Sure she was happy to meet Sakura and Tomoyo but...well she couldn't explain it. She didn't want to watch Syaoran falling for another girl. She wouldn't be able to stand that.

-

"Hey Li, you okay, man?" Yamazaki asked as he picked passed him the basketball. They were in P.E. and the guys were playing basketball yet again. "You've been missing those easy shots during the whole game."

Syaoran nodded and looked at Yamazaki with confusion written all over his face. "I know. I don't know what's wrong with me."

Eriol jogged over to them, easily grabbing the ball from Syaoran's hands. "You haven't been passing all that well either, Syaoran. Is something on your mind?" Eriol asked. "You're usually a really good player."

Li shrugged. Something kept nagging at him. Something that he overlooked. "I feel distracted by something...but I don't know what it is."

Yamazaki shrugged. "Well let's hit the showers before lunch. We told the girls we'd join them remember?"

Syaoran nodded blankly. What was wrong with him?

-

"Hey, ladies," Eriol said teasingly as he, Syaoran and Yamazaki sat next to Sakura and her friends. They were outside since it was a glorious day. Everyone seemed to be cheerful.

"Hi Eriol! Syaoran! Yamazaki!" Sakura said as she munched on her lunch.

They all sat together as Sakura, Eriol and Tomoyo told the others about their trip and how fun it was. However, Syaoran sat there, staring expressionlessly at his uneaten lunch on his lap.

"-I wish you all could've been there! Naoko, it would've been the perfect place to read or work on your stories because it was so peaceful! Plus, Meiling is a really nice person. Oh, yeah! Syaoran, did you tell her about going shopping today? I wanted her to meet everyone here," Sakura was saying.

But he didn't reply. Something was still obviously bothering him.

"Hey, Li-kun," Rika said. "You okay?"

He snapped out of it when Eriol poked his shoulder. "What? Sorry. What happened?"

"Sakura was asking if you invited Meiling shopping today," Tomoyo explained.

"Oh yeah. Yeah I did. Told her this morn-"

Then it hit him. Meiling! It had something to do with her! He didn't know how he knew that but he knew something wasn't right here.

"Uh...look you guys," he said as he suddenly picked up himself up. "I'm going home for lunch. Something doesn't felt right."

"Still feeling that, Li?" Yamazaki asked. "That's been nagging you all day."

"No wonder you're so out of it," Chiharu added.

Sakura looked at him worriedly. "Is something the matter?"

Syaoran shook his head in response. "No. Don't worry about it. Ja."

"Wait Syaoran," Sakura said as he went off. But he hurried away and she stared after him as she too began to worry. Something was wrong with him. She could feel it.

-

He got home and didn't even bother closing the door behind him. The apartment was rather quiet. He had expected Meiling to be lying on the couch watching some soap opera but she wasn't there. Syaoran walked around the whole apartment, but still, she wasn't to be found.

"Meiling? Where'd she go?"

Suddenly, a post-it on the refrigerator caught his eye. It had her exact handwriting: a scribbled yet feminine style. He took it off and read the short note.

Immediately, he ran out of the apartment, not even bothering to lock the door as he dropped the post-it on the way. It fluttered to the floor.

_Syaoran_

_I have to get out of here. I'm going back home. I can't stand it anymore. I have to go and think. _

_Bye._

_Don't try looking for me. I'll already be gone._

_Li_ _Meiling_

-

"She could've told me," Syaoran muttered himself as he made his way through the crowd of people. He was at the airport, trying to figure out where the departure times were showed. But it was impossible. There were just too much people in here.

He figured out what was bothering him so much. Meiling had been planning this. He had a suspicion this morning when she had stuttered after he asked her about registering in the school. But he hadn't taken much notice to it. He was worried about her. And guilty. He knew she was still saddened by the whole '_connection_' thing. Even though she was hiding it, he knew she was upset. Syaoran knew he had to say sorry. She loved him, but he didn't love her. It must've broke her heart.

"This is the last call for Flight 70 bound for Hong Kong. Gate A5. I repeat, this is..."

Syaoran sighed in relief. Thank god for intercoms. But where was he? Was he even close to the gate? Luckily, he found a map of the place and quickly made his through to it. Gate A5 was all the way at the other end of the airport!

"Damn..."

Why did these things have to happen to him?

-

"Gate A5," Syaoran said to himself. "Here it is."

He had done it. He had gotten there on time!

And man, he was tired.

He spotted a girl in her seat, curled up into a ball on one of the seats.

"Meiling!"

A raven haired girl looked up in surprise from her seat. She had been listening to her CD player, unwilling to leave for some reason. Everyone else bound for Hong Kong had already entered the plane and the intercom kept saying that it was the last call. But she didn't want to go. Syaoran was in this country after all. And now here he was, standing in front of her.

With an utter look of shock on her face, she walked over to him, bringing her purse with her. How had he gotten here on time? He was missing school! "Syaoran!" she exclaimed. "How?"

Syaoran gave a grin and shrugged. "You should've told me Meiling. You shouldn't go around sneaking like that."

She looked at the ground. "Well I-"

"Meiling-chan!"

The two Lis turned around in surprise as three people came running towards them. Meiling was shocked. Sakura, Eriol and Tomoyo were here too? "Hey you guys!"

Meiling went over to them. "How did you-"

Eriol shrugged as he panted. "We just followed Syaoran's aura. And let me tell you, he was running all over the place! But putting that aside..."

"Meiling-chan, why are you leaving?" Sakura asked with a frown. "I was hoping you'd meet everyone else today."

Meiling grinned. "I would've liked that...really. But I...have to go back. This isn't my home. Besides, I need to think about a few things."

Tomoyo came up to her with an understanding smile on her face. "We understand, Meiling-chan. Besides, we can write and call each other and you can visit anytime!"

The Chinese girl nodded. Tomoyo understood. So did Eriol. After all, they were the ones who had helped her understand many things. "Well I better get going! I'll see you guys later!" She gave all three of them a big, group hug as the intercom yelled that it was the last call again. She ignored it once more and turned to Eriol. "Thank you for everything. Even for...telling me about...you know. I'll miss your class and jokes, Eriol!" She came closer to him and whispered, "Make sure you tell Tomoyo soon okay?"

Eriol stiffly nodded, a blush spreading on his face.

"Aw, Tomoyo! Thank you for everything! I'll miss you, girl!" Meiling again whispered something else. "And write to me how the progress between Sakura and Syaoran is okay?"

Tomoyo nodded. "Will do!"

Meiling slyly grinned. "And how you and Eriol are doing."

"Uh...sure." She blushed a bright red.

Meiling turned to the next person and hugged her again. "Sakura, thanks a lot for inviting me to the cruise. It was a lot of fun. And...I'm glad I met you. That Syaoran met you..."

Sakura blinked. "Hoe? No problem Meiling-chan! Anything for a friend!" She smiled brightly although she was slightly confused.

Lastly, the girl turned to the final and last person. Syaoran. She walked up to him as the three others walked a couple of feet away, giving them space to talk privately. Meiling shrugged and smiled. "I'll see you when you go home-" She stopped. That wasn't right. Hong Kong no longer seemed like his home. This was his home. Tomoeda, Japan. She started her sentence over, a bit sadly. "I'll see you when I see you."

Syaoran nodded slowly, looking at her carefully. "You should've still told me that you were leaving, Meiling. I wouldn't have minded bringing you, if that's what you were worried about," he said.

She shook her head and looked up at him with a plastered smile on her lips. "Nah. I'm just a burden to you, Syaoran. Besides, I can take care of myself." She looked him over once more as he stared at her with those deep amber orbs. "You know, Xiao Lang," she whispered so only he could hear. "Don't tell anyone...but I had an _itty bitty_ crush on you _before_. I know it's weird but...that's how feelings are. They're weird."

He looked at her in shock. He _had_ been right. But she didn't like him anymore? He smiled. That was good. She'd find someone else that would love her back. "Oh...really?" he said. He didn't want her to know that he had known all along. It might be embarrassing for her.

Meiling nodded, a blush covering her cheeks. "Yep."

"Meiling?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

She looked at him in confusion. "For what? You didn't do anything."

He shrugged and looked at her sheepishly. "For not telling you about Sakura and me. And for..." He couldn't say it. But he wanted to say it. He wanted her to know. After all, they told each other everything. But maybe this wasn't the right time.

Meiling shrugged as he trailed off and another last call for the flight boomed in her ear again. She gave him a long hug. "Tell her okay, Syaoran? Tell Sakura that you love her. I want you to be happy as soon as possible," she said as she pulled away.

He stood there silently as she gave one final smile and ran off. He heard the other three who had followed him started yelling their goodbyes with tears in their eyes.

Syaoran looked at the ground and whispered to himself.

"...I'm sorry that I hurt you. I'm sorry that I didn't love you back."

-

Meiling ran, tears blurring her vision, as she hurried down the long hallway which led to the plane. Then, she quickly took her seat. She had been the last one to arrive.

There, she looked out the window as it took off, she curled herself into a ball in her seat as she silently wept. She had lied to him. First of all, she didn't like him just an _itty bitty_ bit. She liked him a lot. Loved him in fact. And second of all, it wasn't that she _loved_ him...it was that she _still_ was in love with him. The feelings hadn't vanished. They were still lingering there as if to haunt her.

"Damn love. It sucks ass..."

"Excuse me, miss?" a voice said.

She quickly wiped away her tears and looked towards the voice. A tall Chinese man with short hair and a kind face looked at her in worry. "Yes?" she asked as she tried to hide the fact that she had been crying.

He looked at her red face silently and smiled a bit. Then, he reached down in his laptop bag and brought out a pack of tissues. "Here. You seem like you need these more than me."

Meiling let out a watery smile and gratefully took them. "Thanks...um..."

" Liang. Fai Liang," he answered with a smile. "Nice to have been of service to a lady like you."

She smiled through her tears. "Thanks."

This guy...This Liang...maybe he's a new beginning to a tragic heartbreak?

**TO BE CONTINUED **


	14. Opportunity

**Tied By Fate  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS or the characters.

* * *

**Chapter 14**: Opportunity

Syaoran came to the spot where he and his friends usually ate their lunches and saw that there was no one there. Looking around as he held his lunch, he wondered where in the world they had gone.

"Syaoran-kun!"

Her voice! The amber eyed boy's heart skipped a beat. It was Sakura's voice. And she was close. He could feel her aura as a bubbly feeling crept inside his heart.

She sure was cheerful today.

"S-Sakura?" he said, still looking around. His magic was flustered by the bubbly feeling she kept emitting but finally he felt exactly where she was. God. She was the only one who got him so nervous that he isn't able to think straight. He looked up and there she was, sitting comfortably on a large branch high up in a tree with her lunch on her lap. "Hi," he said and instantly felt embarrassed. That was a stupid thing to say.

She didn't seem to think so though. Sakura laughed. "Come on up!"

He nodded and before you could count to five, he had used his martial art skills to find his way to another strong branch next to hers. He hadn't even dropped his lunch on the way.

Her emerald eyes widened. "Sugoi! That was amazing!"

He blushed in embarrassment at her compliment and he quickly looked away. "So...uh...where are the others?"

"They all said they had something to do today. Some form of club," she answered.

Syaoran groaned. He highly doubted that. There they go with their matchmaking plans again. But as usual, he had fallen into it. That damn Hiiragazawa and Daidouji surely seemed to be good at things like this. He knew for certain that they were the masters behind this whole ordeal. "Oh."

Sakura smiled as she found that she had been staring into his amber orbs. She quickly pulled her eyes away and blushed. Why had she done that? Why did she suddenly feel all comfortable whenever he was around?

"Flustered?" he suddenly said.

She almost jumped in surprise as the blood rushed to her face. "H-Huh?"

Syaoran laughed and Sakura immediately found that he looked incredibly cute when he smiled. Of course, she had thought that before but now that lately, whenever he smiled or laughed she found herself thinking that all over again. And what was worse was that he seemed to be even cuter than before each time he did. "Silly. Did you forget already? I...I felt it coming from you."

"Oh, yeah." What a complete idiot she was today. She couldn't believe it.

"And now you're embarrassed," Syaoran added with a grin.

Sakura frowned a bit, but obviously was still happy. "Hey! Stop it!" she said, giggling. "That's not funny."

"I haven't teased you in awhile."

"It was better that way."

They both laughed as they simply enjoyed the time they spent with each other. They were always comfortable with each other. There were almost no awkward moments and they liked it like that.

"You think your brother would be mad that we're pretty good friends now?" Syaoran asked with a grin.

Sakura thought for awhile and nodded. "Probably. But don't worry. Yukito-san will probably hold him back before he could get to you."

That name. Syaoran instantly felt his smile fade as soon as he heard that name from her lips. Yukito. The man who had stolen her heart. The man who she was so deeply in love with. The man who had ruined his chance to be with her. "Heh. Yeah."

Sakura blinked. Had she said something wrong? His expression had changed so drastically from one second to the next. "Is something wrong?"

He quickly shook his head. "Of course not. Y-You just haven't mentioned him for awhile ever since the..." His voice faded and he looked away.

The girl froze. She knew what he was talking about. She hadn't mentioned Yukito's name since the cruise when he had asked her if she was in love with him...and she had answered that she did. How could she be so stupid, mentioning that again? Well she had thought that he wouldn't remember since he had been awfully sick at the time. But he had. He remembered. She felt her heart wrench. Why was she so upset that he remembered? It wasn't like she had been lying to him...right? "Oh, yeah," she said. "It's probably because I haven't seen him or onii-chan in awhile since they're in college."

"Oh," he said simply.

She felt her heart wrench again as he didn't look at her anymore and kept his head down as he ate his lunch. His smile was gone. What had she done?

Syaoran kept his eyes away from her and busied himself with his food. He was feeling that pain again. The pain of heartbreak. Then, he felt sorrow from her. Deep sorrow that he would never believe she would ever feel. He realized why exactly she was sad. "Are you sad that you haven't seen him in awhile?" he asked quietly.

Sakura was startled with the sudden question. But actually, that hadn't been the reason why she was upset. But since she didn't know why she was upset in the first place, she said, "I-I guess."

Syoran forced a smile as he looked up at her. He couldn't stand her being sad. It just wasn't natural. "Don't worry, Sakura. When he comes back that's when you'll be able to tell him...just how much you love him." He tried so hard to make it sound like he was happy for her, that it was a good thing. And luckily, she seemed to buy it.

She nodded slowly as she let out a small grin again. "Yeah." Telling Yukito that she loved him had been her dream ever since she was young. "But I highly doubt it."

"Why?" He instantly felt embarrassment emitting from her again.

"W-Well...I'll never have the guts to." There. She said it. And now her face was covered with blush again.

Syaoran smiled a sad smile as he once again turned his face away from hers, afraid to meet her eyes. It hurt so much to be having this conversation with her. It really did. "You should tell him as soon as possible," he whispered, covering his eyes with his hair. "Before it's too late and you don't have the opportunity again..." That's what Hiiragazawa, Daidouji and Meiling all said to him. That he should tell Sakura the truth. That he loved her. But how could he? How could he when all she probably thought about was Tsukishiro-san?

"...I guess," she replied.

The bell rang, signaling that lunch was over. Luckily it did or else there would've been just awkwardness in the air between them.

"I-I have to get to my next class," Syaoran said as he finished the rest of his lunch in a gulp. Then he jumped down gracefully from the branch that was rather high up in the tree.

Sakura nodded even though he couldn't see her. She had to get going too. But as she was about to climb down, something pierced her arm. A sharp short branch. She didn't even realize it as her footing slipped. She let out a short scream and shut her eyes tight.

But the hard ground never came. Instead, there was warmth. Warmth and comfort.

She gasped as she opened her eyes. Syaoran.

Syaoran lay there in utter shock. One minute he had been worried to death as he saw Sakura falling and the next...she was on top of him. He immediately blushed as she looked up to become face to face to him. Maybe that was a bad idea. Their faces were merely centimeters apart now. Her emerald eyes were wide with surprise and he immediately felt it coming from her. The shock, the embarrassment...and something else. But he couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe it was...confusion?

But he didn't really care. She was on _top_ of him. _Sakura's body was on top of his_. His hormones seemed to be getting the best of him now. His body was going crazy and went even crazier as he felt her warm breath on him and as she uttered his name through her lips. Oh, her lips...how he just wanted to-

He felt his face inch subconsciously towards hers and didn't seem to care. He wanted to show her how much he cared for her. He _would_ show her. Li Syaoran would never let some bastard steal her heart away from him. His mind sent out warning signals as he realized that...she was in a skirt.

A rather _short_ skirt.

Oh no...what the hell was he thinking!

That's when he felt his magic cover slipping once again. And luckily, he realized it before he went berserk.

He jerked away from her as she too seemed to realize what had happened. "I...uh..." Where the hell had his voice gone! "S-Sorry."

Then he ran as fast as he could, not even bothering to pick up his trash from his lunch. He had to get away from there. He just had to.

Li Syaoran _almost_ let his guard down...again.

Sakura was left there, kneeling on the ground. Her eyes were wide as her body and her heart seemed to calm down.

D-Did that just happen?

-

The door opened and then closed as a tired person entered. Dropping his bag on the floor clumsily, Syaoran went into his peaceful room and collapsed on his bed. He had been dreadfully tired and even though it was a beautiful day and he could've went anywhere he wished, something told him he should go home. Besides, where would he go?

Closing his amber eyes, an image of her flashed yet again. Sakura. It seemed that as the days passed, she haunted his lonely mind more and more. It wasn't that the thought of her was bad. It was the thought that she could never be his that pained him. It plagued him. Her eyes, her hair, her smile. Everything about her seemed to brighten up his day. It was so hard to hide his growing feelings towards her everyday, but he had somehow managed. He couldn't afford to let her know. Besides, it was hard enough to stop staring at her. And today had been worse since they had P.E. while the guys had been playing soccer, the girls had been doing gymnastics. And seeing that Kinomoto Sakura was on the cheerleading squad and was a terrific athlete, she had been one of the best.

Gosh...Would she ever stop impressing him?

Not only that...what had happened during lunch break was just...

No. He wouldn't even try to think about it. He wouldn't try to think about her shocked eyes, how close they had been, how his body was going crazy, how warm she felt, how much he wanted to just kiss those lips-

No. He had to stop.

Meiling had left a few weeks before, causing the whole atmosphere of his apartment to seem quiet. She had kept in touch though, calling him and writing letters. It had seemed that the Clan was doing fine even though more and more work came in everyday from their different businesses. Most of it had some complaint of why the Lis' head chairman wasn't there. Syaoran didn't care. His sisters seemed to be doing a fine job covering for him anyway.

It seems that Meiling had also been keeping in touch with the others too. Hopefully, she didn't mention anything to Sakura about his feelings. But Syaoran didn't think she'd do that. Of course, she didn't fail to mention to him to confess to Sakura at least ten times in each of her letters.

Confess? How in the world could he do that? She loved someone else.

He sighed aloud, breaking the silence of his room.

Then, he fell into a deep sleep, the event of what happened during lunch recess still on his mind.

-

"Kero-chan," Sakura said with a smile as she entered her room. "I'm home. And guess what I brought?"

The guardian looked up from the magazine he had been reading on her bed as she placed her books and her bag on her desk. "Welcome home! What did you bring me?" His eyes lit up. "Pudding?"

His mistress laughed. "No, but I think it's better than that. Tomoyo and Eriol are here. They're downstairs."

Kero poked his head down at the magazine again, losing his interest.

"Tomoyo brought cake she bought on the way."

She felt a rush of air and suddenly her guardian was gone from the room. "Kero-chan, you'll never change." She quickly changed into some sweatpants and a shirt before heading back down to join her friends.

-

"Yum! That was good!" Kero said in satisfaction as he lay on the coffee table and patted his stomach.

They were all in Sakura's living room just finishing up the cake that Tomoyo had brought in.

Sakura nodded in agreement. "It sure was. Arigato Tomoyo-chan!" She gave her best friend a smile which Tomoyo returned.

Eriol took the last piece of the delicious cake. "Hey, does anyone know where Syaoran is?"

"I think he's in his apartment," Tomoyo said with a shrug. "I was going to tell him about meeting here after school but I couldn't find him. I don't know. He looked pretty tired in class though."

"Ah. So that's why he isn't answering his phone. He's probably taking a nap."

The raven haired girl giggled. "I wonder if you and Yamazaki went too far today in gym class, Eriol-kun," she said. "I don't think Li-kun appreciates being a target for soccer balls."

The boy's azure eyes glinted evilly. "We were just having some fun. Besides, Syaoran didn't get hurt."

"I would've hurt him," Kero remarked with a proud grin. "I would've showed that gaki my soccer skills."

Tomoyo looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't know. Li-kun's pretty good at soccer." She added a laugh. "Besides, I think the ball would squish you first, Kero-chan."

While Kero frowned and muttered, Eriol grinned. "But of course, he cannot possibly be any better than I, right Angel?"

She giggled. "Hmm..." she said, pretending to think hard. "I don't know..." she teased. "Maybe Li-kun could beat you in soccer, Eriol-kun."

His smile dropped as he let out a mock gasp. "That was cruel, Angel. That was really cruel."

As she and Eriol continued to flirt and tease each other that it eventually led Eriol to tickle the poor girl in her sides, Kero noticed someone who had been incredibly quiet throughout the whole conversation. His mistress. She was just staring at her empty plate that had held cake before she had eaten it all. She looked like she was in a daze but it was sort of a sad and confused daze. Was something wrong?

"Hey Sakura," he said as he landed on her shoulder. He could almost feel her jump in surprise. "You okay?"

She seemed to snap out of it and smiled at her little friend. "Of course! Why wouldn't I be okay?" Sakura quickly stood and picked up some of the plates on the table. "I'll be back. I'm going to wash these plates," she said as she headed for the kitchen in a rush.

What was wrong with her? As soon as she had heard his name, she suddenly blanked out. The only thought in her head was him. Li Syaoran. She couldn't understand it. How _did_ she feel about him? He was close...even closer than a friend. But could she possibly..._love _him?

No. That was impossible. She was in love with Yukito-san. She would always be in love with him. Just his smile, his charms, his kindness seemed to weaken her knees.

But then again...that's what she felt for Syaoran too.

And what made it worse was what happened at lunch at school. She had fallen on top of him and suddenly it was as if she couldn't move. It was what happened before on the last day of the cruise when she had hugged him. She just completely froze over and her heart seemed to skip every other beat. But this time, it felt different. It was as if...her body was reacting to him. Like it didn't _want_ to move away.

Besides...he was comfy...and warm. And his lips were so close that all she had to do was just move a couple of centimeters to–

She shook her head to get the thought away. She shouldn't think about things like that.

What baffled her the most was the fleeting feeling she had gotten from him. It was a weird feeling and she couldn't describe it well. But it was as if he felt...greatly entranced by something. As if he had a great desire for something...but he couldn't have it. It was hard to explain, but she had gotten a similar feeling whenever she...looks at Syaoran.

Nah, she was probably just thinking too hard. Besides, the strange emotion from Syaoran hadn't lasted long until something blocked it up again. It was probably the shield he used to hide his emotions from her.

She snapped out of her reverie as Kero spoke to her again.

"Why not just use the Bubble Card," Kero asked.

She laughed in reply. "Kero-chan, I'm not _that_ lazy."

When she had gone, the small guardian noticed that the other two who had been laughing endlessly suddenly stopped and had been listening to the whole thing. He turned to see their faces and saw that they both had knowing looks. "What's the matter?" Kero asked in confusion.

Eriol adjusted his glasses and turned to the 'stuffed animal'. "Sakura. I just noticed that she had been totally quiet while we were talking about Syaoran."

"I wonder..." Tomoyo added slyly.

"Wonder what?" Kero asked looking at the two strangely. What the hell was going on?

Eriol shook his head, a smile on his lips. "Never mind. Well I'm going to help her wash those dishes," he concluded as he picked up the rest of the empty plates and utensils.

Tomoyo and Kero both nodded. "I'm coming!" the raven haired girl said.

"Me too!"

-

Silence covered the whole apartment as the sunlight streamed in, creating a rather heavenly look. Li Syaoran was sleeping peacefully on his bed, dreaming of a certain someone who just wouldn't stay out of his head. But he didn't mind. No. He didn't mind at all.

Then a sharp ringing was heard, disturbing the peace. And Syaoran being a rather light sleeper immediately woke up in an angry frenzy. "What the hell?" he mumbled as he fumbled around trying to locate his cell phone. He found it in his pocket and answered sharply. "What!"

Only sniffles were heard from the other end.

He started to get infuriated when no one replied. "Who the hell is this?"

"... Xiao Lang?" a familiar voice said. Wow. He hadn't heard that voice in such a long time.

"Shiefa?"

"Yes. Hello, little brother," his sister answered. But her voice was watery and sniffles were still heard. She didn't seem to be very happy.

"Shiefa? What's wrong? Did something happen to the company?"

Silence. She didn't answer and Syaoran felt something deep inside him that didn't seem right. Something was wrong here. Something terribly wrong.

"Shiefa! Answer me!"

A deep, sad sigh was heard as she tried to compose herself. " Xiao Lang...c-come home...please."

He scrunched his nose up in confusion. "What?"

Suddenly he no longer heard her sniffling and instead, it sounded like the phone was being moved. "Syaoran!" another voice said. Meiling. But her teasing voice had change to a nervous one.

"Meiling? What's wrong? Why is Sheifa crying? Are all my sisters crying? Did something happen?"

There was a pause. "It's your mother, Syaoran. She...had a heart attack."

Syaoran's mind stopped as he zoned out when Meiling started explaining what happened. That was impossible. His mother? _The_ Li Yelan? The one who's always been the strong and mighty one in their family? The one who has always scolded him? That can't be true!

He heard the phone move again and another feminine voice was heard. "Xiao Lang! Please come home! We need you..."

"Feimei..." They sounded so upset that he couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart.

" Xiao Lang, we need you," Feimei repeated. "The whole clan is becoming disorganized and running around with lots of work in their hands. Especially now that Mother is in the hospital. Please, come home. We need you. Your clan needs you. Mother needs you..."

Anger grew in his chest for some reason. He didn't want to go back. He was happy here even though the one he loved didn't love him back. It was good to just be around Sakura after all. But, no. His clan and his family expected too much of him. _Now_ they want him to return when he's been the happiest he has ever been? _Now_ when he actually has friends instead of business partners and advisers? _Now_ when he didn't have to worry about running the whole damn business? No. He wouldn't go back. He won't. They can't make him.

"You can take care of it," he replied coldly.

"But Xiao Lang-"

"I'm happy here! I don't want to return to that fucking hellhole!"

Without even waiting for a reply, he pressed the button that would make the call end and buried his head in his hands. Why was it so hard? Why was it so hard to just be happy?

Gritting his teeth, he threw the phone against the wall and started muttering curses in fury. He wouldn't go back! To hell with the clan! They never cared about him. They never cared that he didn't want to have all that responsibility. So why should he care about them?

Why should he care about the woman who allowed them to make him into this? Li Yelan...all she ever did was make him work the hardest out of everyone. He still remembers the pain. Sure she has softened up now. She probably realized her mistake in trying to shape him to be the best. But it was too late. He had those memories where his mother let him do nothing but work. He had those memories where his mother had so willingly allowed the Elders to be cruelly whipped to 'perfection'.

And he had those memories where he could see in her eyes the longing she had to see his father again.

The father that he hadn't been strong enough to protect.

But he _did_ care about her. She was his mother after all. And it hurt him to know that she was suffering in a hospital.

The last time she had gone to the hospital was when his father died. It must be terrible for her.

He was torn. Should he stay here and be happy? Or should he go back to the place he hated so much to comfort the mother who had made him to loathe it in the first place?

Dammit. Choices were hard decisions.

And what made it worse...he had to keep his guard up. He couldn't let anyone know, especially Sakura. He had to keep his magic shield strong so she won't have a clue that he's thinking this way again. He just had to.

But it was so hard...

-

Sakura felt a slight chill run up her spine and shivered. It was weird. She didn't even feel cold. It was as if something bad had happened, yet she didn't know what.

"Sakura-san?" Eriol asked as he switched from channel to channel on the television. "Are you cold?"

"Yeah. You just twitched out of nowhere," Tomoyo added with a giggle.

The three teens were watching TV in Sakura's living room. They were feeling lazy and Eriol and Tomoyo didn't feel like going home just yet. Besides, hey didn't have school tomorrow and even though they weren't exactly doing anything, they were having fun laughing and teasing each other. Well actually it was only really Eriol and Tomoyo teasing Sakura. Touya and Yukito had called before and had told her that they were coming for dinner since they supposedly had big news. And as you would guess, Sakura had turned bright red when she had found out Yukito was coming.

"No I'm fine," Sakura replied, shaking the scary feeling away. "Thanks though."

They nodded as Eriol finally settled on a channel: the news. As they watched a weather report that explained that it was going to be pouring tomorrow night, the backdoor opened and in came the expected arrivals.

"Hey kids..." Touya said as he walked in. He turned to Sakura and smirked. "...and kaijuu."

Sakura got red in the face and frowned. But she forgot all about it as a certain silver haired man entered with a bright smile on his face. She immediately got a light feeling in her chest as he said hello. "Y-Yukito-san! I haven't seen you in such a long time!" she exclaimed happily. It was weird feeling that emotion again. It was as if it was now...false. She shook the idea away. Besides, the feeling was still there and she was delighted to see her crush.

He smiled. "Haven't seen you in awhile either. How have you been, Sakura-chan?"

"Just f-fine," she answered shyly. That was when she noticed that her brother was looking around the house with an angry look on his face. He was acting weird...as usual. "Hoe? Onii-chan? What's wrong?"

He frowned. "Nothing. Just making sure that the gaki isn't here," he said.

"Syaoran? Oh...he couldn't make it," his little sister replied sadly. She really wanted him to be here. But I guess you don't always get what you want. Besides, she didn't think she could face him after what had happened during lunch. Just thinking about it made her blush. "We tried calling him but no one picked up."

Touya smiled triumphantly and stopped scanning the area. "Good. So where's otou-san?"

"He's out at the university working on some overnight project he had to do."

The older brother frowned. "Oh, well I'll just have to tell him the news later."

"What exactly is the big news you were talking about on the phone, Kinomoto-kun?" Tomoyo asked curiously.

Yukito smiled brightly. "We'll tell you after dinner."

"No, tell it now!" Sakura exclaimed brightly. "You sounded really excited on the phone."

"Well, Sakura-chan," Yukito started, "We signed up for the transfer student program a couple of months ago and they selected us to go to London for a semester."

The three teens were surprised. "Wow! London!" Tomoyo exclaimed, her eyes brightening. "My mother said it's a really nice place there when she went for a fashion convention in London."

"We're leaving the day after tomorrow. But we'll be spending the night here," Touya added.

His little sister frowned. "The day after tomorrow!"

Yukito nodded with a smile on his face. "We just found out today too. But we decided to go even though it's short notice. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity."

"Yes, it is. London is a magnificent place. I'm sure you'll like it," Eriol added. After all, he _did_ live in London just a few years ago. "I wouldn't mind visiting for a couple of days actually."

"Feel free to oce we get over there," Touya suggested, "Well, is dinner ready? I'm starving."

Sakura nodded. "It's all ready. Just set the table, onii-chan."

He nodded and made his way towards the kitchen as Yukito smiled down at Sakura. "We'll miss you and everyone here, Sakura-chan. We'll be worried about all of you too," he said sadly.

She blushed. "B-But I'm sure it'll be fun there! Don't worry about us. It's just sad that you have to leave so soon." Then an idea formulated in her head and she blushed at the thought of it. But she had nothing to lose and besides, her brother and Yukito would be leaving soon. Anyway, didn't Syaoran-kun tell her to tell her feelings to Yukito? Didn't he say that she would lose her chance if she didn't tell him soon? "Um, Yukito-san?" she asked shyly.

"Yes?"

"You know those free coupons you gave me for my birthday? The ones for the restaurant? Well I didn't use them yet and I was wondering if y-you would join me for dinner tomorrow?" she asked, her entire face bright red. "B-Because I didn't try the food there yet and I wanted to go soon..." she added, trying to make it seem like it wasn't serious.

Yukito was surprised. "You're inviting me? Are you sure?"

She nodded and looked away sheepishly. "That is...if you want to go."

He smiled and patted her shoulder. "I'd love to. Now let's get going to the kitchen before Touya eats all the food for himself."

Her eyes lit up. Did she just hear that right? Did Yukito just say yes? That was impossible! Oh wow, this was unbelievable! "O-Okay!"

As the two headed towards the kitchen, Eriol and Tomoyo looked at each other in worry. They had been listening to the whole conversation, pretending that they were watching the news on TV. They were both thinking the same thing: What about Syaoran?

"Eriol," Tomoyo said, her expression deep with confusion and sadness. "I-I thought she...I mean...I had a feeling that she-"

"-was starting to have feelings for Syaoran?" Eriol finished sadly. "I did too. I don't know what's going on..." He sighed, feeling bad for his close friend. He knew how much Syaoran loved her but if he was to find out that she was going out on a date with Yukito...he'd be crushed.

"E-Eriol, I don't get it!" the raven haired girl said in frustration. "I really thought they loved each other. I really thought that Sakura didn't like Yukito anymore." She stopped, biting her bottom lip in worry. "We can't let Li-kun know, okay?"

Her friend nodded. "I was thinking the same thing."

Then they heard Sakura's voice calling to them, saying that dinner was ready. They took one more worried glance at each other and hurried to the kitchen where everything was set.

If they had stayed one more minute in the living room, they would have heard a very important report on the news...

_'In other business news, the Li family, who have always led one of the top corporations in the world, have been having some rather difficult times. Ever since the young _ _Li_ _Syaoran__, the chief executive of the whole corporation, has deserted his position and has disappeared from the country, more work and complaints have been coming in for the ones who were left in charge. On top of that, his mother, _ _Li_ _Yelan__ who is another prominent person in their corporation, had a heart attack today at approximately _ _two fifteen__ this afternoon. With no one in charge, everything seems to be going wrong. Will their young leader return to fix everything up? More details will be given in a later time...'_

-

Syaoran awoke once more from his nap as he felt a tingling feeling flow up his spine. He had forced himself to sleep after the phone call from Hong Kong and yet he woke up again! Trying to get rid of the aching headache that had suddenly hit him, he realized that the happy emotion that had woken him up couldn't possibly be his.

"What is it now, Sakura?" he mumbled.

Concentrating hard, Syaoran closed his eyes and tried to find the reason for her happiness. An image of someone appeared and his eyes opened in a flash. A deep pain started in the pit of his stomach.

The image was of a tall man with silvery hair, kind grey eyes and glasses. Yukito.

She was...thinking of him again...?

**TO BE CONTINUED **


	15. Decisions

**Tied By Fate  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS or its characters.

* * *

**Chapter 15**: Decisions

A certain Chinese boy grumbled as he cleaned the chalkboard in front of the room with a wet rag. It was his turn to have the morning clean up duty at school today. Usually, he wouldn't have minded getting up early. Actually, most of the time he was an early bird. But today, the boy wasn't in the best of moods. That phone call from his sisters and Meiling had soured his mood. It would take forever before he would be able to be content again. And that wasn't even the end of it.

There was still that image he had gotten last night. Sakura was thinking about the person she loved again. Something had come up yesterday. Otherwise, she wouldn't be thinking about Tsukishiro again. After all, when was the last time she had mentioned him?

Syaoran's spirits sank. He just remembered that she had been talking about Tsukishiro yesterday afternoon at lunch.

She probably spent all her time thinking about that damn bastard.

A large splash was heard as he threw the wet rag into the bucket full of water next to him. He had thrown it so hard that it caused most of the water to splash everywhere.

He sighed deeply and began muttering curses in Chinese. Well today was starting out to be a great day, wasn't it? Where was the damn person who was supposed to help him out this morning? Syaoran hoped that the person would come soon. Otherwise he'd probably somehow break the windows.

Still cussing, he grabbed a roll of paper towels and mopped up the mess. "Dammit, Sakura," he muttered, his eyes cast downward, "Why are you doing this to me?"

He heard the door slide open and looked up expectantly. It was probably the person who would help him with the clean up. A girl with long dark hair entered. "Daidouji?"

Tomoyo smiled as she spotted the other teen. "Ohayou, Li-kun," she replied apologetically. "I'm sorry I didn't arrive earlier. My mother is on the leave again today. She's off to England and I wanted to say goodbye before she left."

"It's fine, Daidouji. Glad you're here."

She looked perplexed as she realized what Syaoran was doing in the first place. Wasn't he supposed to be cleaning up, not messing the room up? She grabbed a roll of paper towels and assisted him. "What happened?"

"Nothing. It's nothing," Syaoran answered grumpily. "I just got a little out of control."

"Why's that?"

The stubborn teen simply shrugged his shoulders. "Forget about it. It's not important."

"Are you sure?" Tomoyo asked as her worry grew a bit. "You seem pretty upset. If you decide to talk about it, I'm always here, okay?"

He nodded gratefully. "Thanks."

Tomoyo nodded as she gave him a small smile. But she knew something was definitely wrong. Syaoran was just too stubborn to talk about it.

He surely wasn't too stubborn to let out his anger though.

-

It was midday now and classes were just about finished. Kinomoto Sakura yawned silently as she tried to pay attention to the teacher. But it was just too boring and she was tired. She hadn't been able to sleep last night. She had been too excited about the date tonight.

Just think! A date with Yukito-san!

Sakura sighed in contentment. A date! Her first date!

Well, it technically wasn't exactly a date. After all, she had just asked him to dinner. He probably thought that she just wanted to treat him before he left for London. But that was okay if he thought that. Sakura was just happy to be spending time with him.

Just the thought of him leaving to London for a long time saddened her.

" Li Syaoran," the teacher said, waking Sakura up from her daydream. "Why exactly are you making faces into the air?" The teacher's frown deepened as she looked at Syaoran with an angry expression on her face. Sakura turned to look at Syaoran who was seated two seats away from her. He didn't look so good. His jaw line across his cheek showed and his eyebrows were knit together. He looked...angry? "I hope you aren't daydreaming there, Li-san," the teacher continued. "You know how I feel about people who don't pay attention.

Sakura gulped. Poor Syaoran. She felt guilty now. Just now she had been zoning off and she didn't get into trouble.

"Gomen," she heard the boy reply. The teacher looked satisfied and continued her lesson.

Sakura kept staring at her friend two seats away. He still looked rather upset and angry. Did something happen? Actually, now that she thought about it, Syaoran hadn't been himself all day. He seemed subdued and was really quiet, even quieter than usual. He hadn't even spoken to her.

Sakura grew worried. Something was bothering him and she didn't even notice! Just because he was hiding his emotions from her doesn't mean that she was blind to all the actions he had given that proved he was upset. What kind of friend was she?

She'd ask him after school. She probably won't be able to help him, but maybe he just needs a friend. You never know. Besides, she hated seeing him upset. For some reason...just the thought of him being sad or angry...saddened her.

-

As soon as the bell rang, Syaoran picked up his books and hurried away into the hallway. He didn't feel like hanging out with his friends today like he usually did. He didn't even feel like talking to them or seeing them. Especially not her. Oh no. He didn't want to even confront Sakura. Hopefully, he'd be out of this stupid school before any of them spot him.

Syaoran walked briskly, not even stopping at his locker to empty his hands of his textbooks. He just couldn't get the thought of Sakura out of his head. All day she has been thinking of that Tsukishiro and it was getting annoying. It was more than annoying. It hurt. It cut deep into his heart.

Is that all she could do? Does she _have_ to think about him _all _the time? Does she have to feel so much happiness when she thought of him? Couldn't she think of someone else? Maybe like...

"Maybe like me..." he whispered.

He stopped in his tracks as the crowd of students continued to file out the building. He wanted her to notice him. He wanted her to change her mind and choose to love him instead. But being the one she loves the most...that was an impossible dream.

Suddenly he felt a hearty thump on his back and he turned to see who had patted his shoulder. "Oh," he said as he spotted two figures standing behind him. "Hiiragazawa. Daidouji." He expected them to be smiling and to be inviting him to come with them to hang out, but they didn't seem to be so happy like he thought. They looked grim, even upset. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"What's wrong with _us_?" Eriol replied as he crossed his arms. "What's wrong with _you_?"

"Li-kun, you've been out of it all day. You've barely talked to us, you've been avoiding us, and just now, you were trying to sneak away," Tomoyo added. "Is something wrong? You can tell us, you know."

"Yeah, we're your friends."

Syaoran gave a grim smile. He was grateful, but he just wanted to get out now. Nothing they could do or say could make him feel better. Besides, what if Sakura came up right now? "Thanks but-"

"No, Syaoran," Eriol interrupted firmly. "Tell us. You always keep in your feelings, even from the one person you know you don't want to keep your feelings from. If you keep in your emotions any longer, you'll explode and do something irrational. Just tell us. Please."

Syaoran knew it was true. Hiiragazawa was always right anyway. That was probably why Syaoran got angry. He knew what his friend had said was the truth, yet he didn't want to tell anyone his feelings. No, that wasn't it. He didn't have the courage to. "Leave me alone, Hiiragazawa," Syaoran replied darkly. "Just stay away. Both of you."

He impolitely turned around without another look and began to walk away.

Eriol sighed and scratched the back of his head. Syaoran was the single, most stubborn person he had ever met. He was stumped. What was wrong with him? Did something happen back home? No. Eriol didn't think that was what was bothering the guy. It was something here, in Japan. Sakura. Something happened with her. Syaoran hadn't been avoiding _them_, he had been trying to avoid _her_.

But what had happened? The only thing that would get Syaoran upset was that Sakura had a date with Yukito. But Syaoran didn't know that.

The answer hit him.

"Tomoyo, you didn't tell Syaoran about Sakura and Tsukishiro-san, right?" he asked.

Tomoyo had a worried look in her eyes. "Of course I wouldn't tell him. He'd get really upset." Her amethyst eyes grew wide as the answer struck her too. "You think Li-kun knows? Maybe he had found out because they have that connection."

Eriol nodded. "I was thinking that too, but probably not. But Sakura is really excited about that date. Maybe he just knows that Sakura is thinking about Tsukishiro a lot."

Tomoyo nodded. That was the answer. Li-kun could feel the happiness Sakura felt whenever she thought of Tsukishiro-san.

Poor Li-kun. It was bad enough when Sakura thought about Tsukishiro-san. If he ever found out that they were going to have a _date_...

She felt an arm gently wrap around her waist.

"Don't worry. He won't find out. We won't tell him," Eriol said. He knew she was upset and he wanted to comfort the girl that was special to him. But he wasn't even sure himself.

-

Sakura sighed in frustration as she threw numerous articles of clothes on her bedroom floor. Why hadn't she thought of what outfit to wear the night before? She only had two hours before she would meet Yukito at the restaurant and still, she had no outfit!

This couldn't be happening.

"Hoee! I can't find _anything _to wear!" Sakura yelled frantically, still throwing clothes into a huge pile behind her. "What am I going to do, Kero?"

A muffled voice replied from a shirt she had just thrown and she giggled. Picking the shirt up, she apologized to her guardian that had been buried under it.

Kero glared at her for a second and then sighed as he flew over to the desk. It was much safer than the floor right now. Why the heck was she going all berserk over one guy? "I don't know, Sakura. You should've asked Tomoyo before."

She sighed in response as she paced back and forth in her room. "I know, I know. I totally forgot. And I tried calling her a few minutes ago but no one picked up. Even on her cellphone."

Kero gave a grin. "Then you're screwed." He couldn't help it. The whole thing was simply amusing.

His mistress glared at him and collapsed on top of her bed. "What am I going to do?"

"Well, you can always wear that outfit Tomoyo got you for your birthday. Well actually she got you a lot of outfits but you can wear that green dress with the flowers on the bottom."

He saw her eyes light up and the guardian sighed aloud. She had actually forgotten about it?

Obviously she had. Sakura jumped up from her bed with stars in her eyes. She grabbed the poor Kero and hugged the living daylights out of him. "Arigato, Kero-chan! I forgot all about that!" she exclaimed happily. "I promise you more pudding from now on, okay?"

The stuffed animal fell from her arms dizzily as she rushed into her closet once more. Moving aside some clothes, she finally found it. The green dress with the peonies. She could've cried with joy!

She grabbed it and put it against her body as she surveyed herself in the mirror. It should still fit. If it didn't then she really had to cut down on the junk food. "Thanks again, Kero!" she yelled as she rushed out of her room with the dress. She was probably going into the bathroom to shower and get ready.

Kero plopped on the floor tiredly and sighed. He had nearly been crushed to death!

"Jeez. Why do girls get so excited over boys?" But then he gave a big grin. "At least I get more pudding."

-

The amber eyed boy was sprawled on the couch switching from channel to channel. His mouth was formed into a thin frown and his eyes were still ablaze with a tint of jealousy. The boy was obviously still annoyed. He just couldn't get the jealousy out from him. That damn Tsukishiro. Why couldn't he just stay in college? Sakura had been doing fine without him. Syaoran had been getting closer to her. But then Tsukishiro just had to show up, didn't he?

It was then that he felt that tingly feeling again.

She was thinking about him.

Syaoran nearly lost his control. He stopped flipping through channels and gripped the remote in his hand so tightly he thought it was going to break. He couldn't help it. The jealousy was getting stronger and stronger because he was building it up inside of him. But he kept his composure and took deep breaths.

He couldn't let his feelings run wild. He couldn't take down that shield that hid his emotions from Sakura.

That would simply be disastrous.

"-Lis' businesses seem to be getting worse."

Syaoran looked up at the television screen as soon as he heard his name. He had stopped flipping through channels and had landed on the news the exact time they were reporting about his family. Coincidence?

"We have tried to speak to the Li sisters about their little brother's disappearance but only one, Li Fenren, answered."

A picture of his sister came to the screen. There was a microphone in front of her and her expression was unusual for her. Syaoran was always used to seeing her all giggly even though she was the most subdued from his sisters. It was weird. No matter what, she always had a smile on her face.

"Where do you think your brother had gone to? Why haven't any of you tried searching for him?" the reporter asked the Li.

Fenren gave a soft but sorrowful smile. "We've heard from him. He's happier there than he would be here and that's a good thing. I don't want to take away his happiness by forcing him to come back."

"But what about your mother?"

Fenren's smile slowly faded and her eyes avoided the camera. "I-I wish he'd come back, if not for the company, but for Mother."

Great. Jealousy and guilt. What a wonderful combination.

Syaoran sighed and pressed the "Power" button to turn the TV off. He'd had enough of this. He needed to get away from this apartment and just relax.

He had to think...about a lot of things.

-

Sakura hummed happily to herself as she walked through her favorite park. The cherry blossom park. Except now, there weren't as many cherry blossoms as before. But it was still nice to see all the pink.

She was early for once. It was something that rarely happened and she was proud of herself. She had about twenty minutes before she had to get to the restaurant and she was already halfway there because the park was a shortcut. She breathed in the scent of cherry blossoms and immediately thought of her mother.

"Okaa-san."

She missed her mother. She could barely remember the woman everyone loved and adored but she still missed her. It wasn't that she wasn't happy with just her brother and her father but she always wondered how different it would be if her mother was still alive.

"Okaa-san," she whispered quietly. "I'm going on my first date today."

She often talked to her mother, knowing that somewhere, she would be listening. And it often made Sakura feel better and more relaxed. It calmed her nerves this time also and she especially needed it. She was nervous about the date.

Yukito. He was a nice guy. That's why she was so nervous. She just knew she'd make a complete fool out of herself. But she wanted to go. She wanted to tell him how she felt. Besides, Syaoran had told her that if she waited too long, she wouldn't have the opportunity again.

Sakura smiled at the thought of him. Syaoran-kun was such a great friend. She just wished he could do something for him in return. Today, he hadn't been in a good mood. She had been hoping to catch him after school and talk to him but he had left the building before she could even get to the hallway. Maybe he was just tired and needed to rest.

A swift breeze rustled the trees and coldness pierced her skin. It was pretty chilly out. And here she was wearing a thin layered dress with spaghetti straps. Sakura had thought she had everything ready. She had her beautiful dress, her shoes, her hair brushed and pulled into a bun. Oh well. She was bound to forget something.

It was then she felt him. His comforting aura.

She looked around and spotted Syaoran looking sadly at the cherry blossom trees. Looking at him then, her breath caught in her throat. He was wearing an ordinary pair of slightly baggy jeans and a light jacket but for some reason just looking at him made her heart beat faster. Just like all those times before whenever there was an intimate moment between them. But she fiercely shook the thought away. It was probably nothing.

Sakura smiled and walked over to him. He didn't notice her until she had called out her name.

"Syaoran-kun?"

He picked up his head quickly and finally noticed she was there. She had surprised him, especially with that outfit she was wearing. A pale green dress with spaghetti straps hugged her body perfectly and complimented her emerald eyes. Her hair was in a perfect bun. In one hand she held a small black handbag. It was a simple outfit. No makeup, no anything. Yet she looked so...stunning. He couldn't help staring.

Syaoran had a loss of words. "Y-You look...that dress..."

Her smile faded. "Do I look that bad?"

"O-Of course not!" Syaoran persisted. "You look...beautiful."

A blush quickly came to her cheeks. The way he had said that just...made her feel happy. "Thanks. Tomoyo made it for me."

"She did a good job of it. I-I like the peonies..." Syaoran remarked.

"You're favorite flower right?" Sakura said, remembering what Tomoyo had said when she had made it. That Eriol had told her a friend of his from China loved peonies so Tomoyo had gotten the urge to put them on the dress. How ironic that Eriol's friend would be standing in front of her today.

He nodded, wondering how she knew that. "Yeah."

Sakura gave a light chuckle and looked at their surroundings. "You're...here. I took you here, remember? You had just come to Japan and you said you have never seen cherry blossoms."

He nodded. Of course he remembered. That was the exact reason he had come here. "Yeah." It almost seemed surreal to him. Here he was at a beautiful park with the most beautiful woman wearing the most beautiful dress making her look even more beautiful. If this was a dream, it surely was a beautiful dream.

God. He was becoming so pathetic...

She gave him a sweet smile and they both were quiet for a time. It was weird how they always had these quiet moments. Yet for some reason, even if they were tense moments, they wouldn't mind. For Syaoran, it was heaven to just be alone with her.

"Syaoran?"

"Hai?"

Sakura turned to him with a worried expression on her face. "Have you been feeling alright?"

"What do you mean?" he replied in confusion.

She blushed in embarrassment and shrugged her bare shoulders slightly. "It's just that you've been looking pretty distracted. And in school you barely spoke to any of us," she said. "I've been worried."

Syaoran felt the happiness swelling inside him for a minute. She cared? Sakura cared? "N-No, everything's all right. I've just been tried."

The girl let out a relived sigh and smiled brightly. "Good. I was afraid something bad happened."

Syaoran gave a grim smile. A lot of things had happened. It was almost too overwhelming for him to take in. Sooner or later, he knew what Hiiragazawa said would come true. He'd explode. But he couldn't tell her and get her upset with his problems. He couldn't tell her that his mother was in the hospital, that his clan was in chaos, and that he was deathly jealous whenever she merely mentions or thinks of Tsukishiro. No. He wouldn't tell her anything. "Of course not. Everything's fine."

Sakura was relieved. She had had the feeling that something big was happening in his life. But she must've been mistaken. Syaoran wouldn't lie to her.

Everything was just fine.

-

"It's really nice of you to invite me for dinner, Eriol-kun. I have to say, you're a great cook!"

The boy just smiled and shook his head. "Ah my precious, I wish I could take all the credit. But Nakuru and Spinel helped out also."

Tomoyo blushed at the slight compliment. She had gotten a lot of compliments from him, but it still never failed to catch her off guard.

She was seated at Eriol's dining table after having a delicious feast he and his guardians had created. It definitely filled her up. But what was she doing here anyway? He had invited her all of a sudden and of course, she just couldn't refuse.

As the host started picking up the plates, she immediately stood and helped out. She should do at least a little work. After all, they did just serve her the best food she had ever eaten.

"Oh please, Tomoyo. You don't have to do anything. I've got it."

Tomoyo just shook her head politely. "What kind of person would I be if I let you do all the work? I'll help out. I'll wash the dishes also."

The two carried the dirty plates into the kitchen and began towards the sink. Eriol chuckled at her etiquette though. Well that was Tomoyo for you.

"No Tomoyo, really. You're the guest for heaven's sake!"

Tomoyo frowned as she carefully placed the plates in the sink. "I won't take no for an answer. Besides, I _want _to help."

Eriol grinned. "I won't take no for an answer either."

She sighed. Eriol was just so stubborn!

"Well, how about this? We'll both do the dishes," the boy with glasses suggested.

Eriol was relieved when she seemed satisfied with the idea and nodded. It wasn't because his guest wasn't doing all the work that he should be doing.

But he got to spend time alone with her. Nakuru and Spinel were both in the living room watching TV so they weren't going to be able to interrupt for awhile. This was the perfect excuse.

Tomoyo smiled. "I'll only accept if I get to wash. You dry."

The boy laughed. "Fine."

She had a big grin on her face as she turned on the sink to let the water flow. She was with him. Alone. It made her whole body tingle just at the thought of being this close with him. His scent, his cute grin, the way he's such a gentleman...she just couldn't stop thinking about him lately. She knew she should concentrate on trying to hook up Sakura and Syaoran, especially now since Yukito was back for a time being. But she figured as long as Syaoran didn't find out about the date, nothing would be damaged. Besides Tomoyo wanted to spend time with Eriol. She knew it was selfish. But sometimes you need to be selfish.

Tomoyo handed the first plate to him with a smile. It was a weird feeling to be washing the dishes with Eriol. She had never thought of him to be the one who does chores.

Then it struck her once more. Just like so many time before when she'd be having a great time with him. Suddenly, she'd remember. Eriol was half the reincarnation of Clow Reed. The thought made her feel very puny. After all, she was a mere commoner compared to someone like Clow Reed. In fact, now that she thought about it, she felt small compared to someone like Eriol! Eriol was so talented. He could do anything in the world. Not only that, but he was athletic, intelligent, caring... He was so many things.

She suddenly stiffened as she stood there beside him. She loved Clow Reed's reincarnation? Was that alright? Was it allowed?

Then it struck her. Someone that famous and important would never like her. Even if Eriol was a normal boy, he could have so many other girls. Why would he settle for her?

-

"Are you cold?"

Sakura blinked in confusion. "Hoe?"

Her companion chuckled and took off his jacket revealing a simple white t-shirt under and placed it on her shivering shoulders. "You're obviously cold if you're shivering like that. You might get a cold, you know. Even this jacket won't do you any good."

The emerald eyed girl blushed at his kindness as she pulled the jacket closer to her. "A-Arigato. But you know, sometimes I like the breezes, even if it's freezing."

Syaoran was curious. "Why?"

She looked up at him with a sincere smile. "Otou-san said that whenever I feel a breeze that it's okaa-san talking to me," she replied. She giggled. "And I know I sound crazy but sometimes when I need to talk to someone, whether it be Tomoyo, or Eriol, or Otou-san, or Okaa-san but they're not there, I say it to the air. Onii-chan always said that the person will hear you no matter what. He said that whenever I needed him, I should just say it to the wind and he'll come running," She blushed. She had sounded ridiculous! Syaoran probably thought she was a complete nut now! "Oh wow, I'm sorry," she said, laughing.

Syaoran shook his head with a smile on his face. "I think you're brother's right, actually. They say that as long as you say it with your heart, the person you want to talk to will hear you."

Sakura grinned. "So that means that I could talk to you anytime, doesn't it?"

He blushed. "Of course."

Still grinning, she breathed in the evening air. It was comforting to be here with Syaoran by herself. It brought a sense of peace to her. It felt even better than what she felt whenever she was near...

Oh no!

Her eyes widened. "Yukito-san!"

Syaoran grimaced. That name. It sent his heart sinking all over again.

"Oh god. I totally forgot!" she exclaimed as she looked at him. "The reason I'm here and so dressed up is because I'm meeting with Yukito soon at a restaurant!"

Syaoran could only nod as he felt the world crashing down on him. Just her and Yukito? Dressed up? Restaurant? He knew what it sounded like and he took a deep breath in order to get the courage to ask. "L-Like a...date?"

Sakura immediately blushed and shook her head quickly. "Uh...I...no...we're just..."

But Syaoran knew the truth. _This_ was why she was thinking of Yukito all day. Of course. Why had he been so blind? They were _dating_. He forced a smile on his face as his body tensed. "I-I didn't know. Con-Congratulations."

But for some reason, something felt wrong for Sakura. She should be happy about this date right? After all, a couple of hours ago, she was jumping all over the place just at the thought she would be alone with him. So why didn't she want this date to happen anymore? Wait a minute. She's wanted this to happen ever since she was young! These are just feelings of doubt. They don't mean anything. "I'm taking your advice, Syaoran," Sakura said quietly. "You said if I waited, I would never get the chance. This may the last time I see him in awhile. So I..."

It hurt. It hurt so much. It was agonizing. But he kept his face straight and his feelings and magic in check. She could never find out how he felt now. It was simply impossible. From here, it was all fate. Sakura and Yukito would become even closer, then eventually get married and have kids...everything Syaoran wanted. "I-I...yeah...that's a good idea." He gulped and forced a smile, but inside he wanted to cry. "I-I'm happy for you."

Sakura smiled and leaned in for a hug. As she felt his arms wrap around her body, she felt at peace. She felt so happy that it was indescribable.

For Syaoran, it was the complete opposite.

They stayed like that for a minute or two, Sakura bathing in his warmness, and Syaoran longing that she were his. But she wasn't.

It was over.

Sakura reluctantly pulled away. "Arigato. You're a really nice friend." Then she pulled in for a simple kiss on the cheek.

He felt it. It was as if something suddenly exploded within him. As soon as those lips had touched his skin, his heart sped even more. It sucks. He knew she could never be his, yet he still loved her.

And he'll never stop.

"Well, I've better get going," Sakura said as she took a step away.

It was then, more than ever, he wanted to tell her. This was his last chance to be with her. If he let this moment pass, he could just forget about her all together.

"Wait, Sakura!"

She turned.

This was it.

He felt as if he were a balloon with too much air and was about to explode. But instead of air, he was filled up with his love for her. If he didn't tell her now, everything would be finished. That's why he had to tell her. He just _had_ to be with her.

But wait. He knew that it was what _he _wanted, but was it something she wanted too? Would she be happy with him? And did he really want to ruin Yukito's happiness? Did he really want her to be with a miserable, arrogant, son of a bitch like him?

No. She didn't deserve that...She deserved so much more.

"I-I...I wish you luck."

Sakura gave a gracious smile and began walking away. It had ended. Just like that. He had remained composed, had kept his emotions from flooding, and had a smile on his facem as he watched her walk away, the cherry blossoms aroud him slowly fluttering to the ground.

Then why did he feel dead?

-

Eriol gritted his teeth as he listened to the water running through Tomoyo's hands. He knew she had suddenly remembered that he was half the reincarnation of Clow Reed. But this happened every time. It hurt him. It hurt him to think that she saw him as a person that was dead. It hurt to think that she thought that she was lowly compared to him just because of the whole Clow Reed thing. But he waited patiently. He waited for her to realize that being Clow Reed in the past didn't matter to him, so it shouldn't matter to her. He had faith in her that she would figure it out but if for some reason she didn't, he planned on telling her how he felt anyway. Besides, he felt that he owed Syaoran to match him up with Sakura first. Eriol felt that it was then that he could truly relax and be happy with Tomoyo. But Eriol couldn't take it anymore. He needed to say it. He needed to say how much he loved her.

He grabbed her shoulders roughly, forcing her to face him as the plate from her hands dropped into the sink and broke with a deafening crash. She had been surprised. Eriol could see it from how her amethyst eyes were wide with confusion.

"That's it, Tomoyo!"

Her eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement. What was he doing? Why was he gripping onto her arms so hard? "E-Eriol?"

"I can't take it! I just can't take it anymore! I hate it when you think this way, Tomoyo. I hate it when you think of me as nothing else than Clow Reed. I'm _not_ him. I will _never _be him," he shouted. But he was really pleading and she realized that. There was something in his eyes that proved that he just wanted her to understand. "Tomoyo, I've been trying all this time to become a normal teenage boy, and I think I've succeeded quite well. Clow Reed is a part of me, I admit that. But he isn't me. I may have knowledge of his thoughts and actions but that doesn't mean I don't have my own feelings. It's just a part of me that can never vanish. But it hurts when you think don't deserve me. The real thing is _I_ don't deserve _you_. Tomoyo, you're _amazing_. I want you to know that. I just wish that if you do truly love me, tell me. I want to know. I _need_ to know." His eyes softened and his grip on her arms became gentler as he took in the attentive eyes of hers. "Because I love you. I've been patient enough. I think I deserve to know."

Without warning, his lips suddenly captured hers in an instant. Instantly, they both began to relax as they realized what was happening. Their kisses became deeper, more passionate.

But before they knew it, it came to a quick close.

A catchy melody started to play from Tomoyo's pocket. It caught both of them off guard. They stood there, staring at each other's eyes and panting for air. When the cellphone in her pocket didn't cease, she took a deep breath and answered the call as Eriol avoided her eyes and put a hand through his dark hair. He sighed and fixed the glasses that had become crooked throughout the ordeal.

"M-Moshi moshi?" Tomoyo asked.

"Tomoyo? Where are you? I tried calling at home but they said you weren't there," a woman's voice replied.

"I'm at a friend's house, okaa-san."

"Sakura-chan's?"

Tomoyo said, "No."

"Then, Hiirgazawa-kun's?" her mother asked.

Her daughter paused as she and Eriol's eyes connected. They stared at each other for a minute longer before Tomoyo could respond into the phone. "Yeah. Eriol's."

-

The hurt he felt was numbing as he stiffly stood there in the middle of the park. He hadn't moved, hadn't spoken. It was as if he was just a body standing there with no soul, no spirit.

It was all too much. He couldn't take it a second longer.

He had to get out of this damn town.

He had to get out of this damn country.

...He had to get her out of his damn mind.

He slowly pulled out his cellphone and dialed the numbers slowly. Syaoran couldn't take it. The rejection was just too much to bear. What would he do now that his heart was broken into a million pieces?

He knew exactly what to do.

After a couple of rings, a lady on the other line picked up.

"...I'm...I'm coming home."

**TO BE CONTINUED **


	16. So Long

**Tied By Fate  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS or any of the characters.

* * *

**Chapter 16:** So Long

Meiling's ruby eyes widened as her hand gripped onto the phone tightly. The call had just been so unexpected. She would have never thought that he would call, much less say what he had just said.

"N-Nani?" she whispered. Maybe she was hearing things. Syaoran had not just agreed to come home right? He wouldn't. Sakura was there in Japan after all. His new, improved life was there. She heard a devastated sigh from the other line. Something huge had just happened. She just knew it.

"I'm coming home, Meiling," he repeated.

But why? He was happy in Japan. He was a normal teenage boy in that country. Here, he'd just be back to being the work slave everyone expects him to be. "Did you tell her?" she asked. It was the first thing that came to mind.

She thought she heard a choke. "I-I gotta go. See you tomorrow."

"Wait, Syaoran!"

But all she was talking to was a dead line. He had hung up. Setting the cordless phone down in a daze, she blinked in confusion.

Did he just say tomorrow?

-

Sakura was panting hard as she reached the entrance of the restaurant. Her whole outfit must look terrible now because of the run. But she looked up and saw him. Yukito. He was wearing a nice dress shirt and black pants. She blushed involuntarily at the sight of him being so dressed up. "G-Gomen, Yukito-san!" she said as they both entered the fancy glass and gold doors. "I totally lost track of time!"

He smiled down at her. "It's no problem. You look nice."

Sakura blushed once more as she felt the shivers run up her spine. Following a waiter, she was delighted to find out that their table was near a beautiful, indoor fountain. So far, so good.

This was it. She was going to tell him how she felt tonight.

Syaoran had said that she should tell Yukito how she felt before it was too late.

She felt herself smile a bit as she and Yukito silently looked over the menus. Syaoran-kun was such a great friend. She was really glad to know him. Whenever he was around her, Sakura always felt at ease. But what was weird was that although she was comfortable with him, her heart just wouldn't stop jumping out of her chest. All of her memories with him seemed to stay vivid in her mind. For some reason, she just cherished them so much. Sakura didn't know why, but she had an unbelievable connection with him. Putting aside that they could literally feel each other's emotions, sometimes she just longed to be by him. He had drastically changed since the first time she met him too. The rude, arrogant boy she had first seen had suddenly disappeared. And in his place was a sweet, sensitive, and unbelievably hot teenager.

Sakura blushed deeply. Had she just thought that about Syaoran-kun? Why would he not escape from her thoughts?

"Sakura-chan? Are you ready to order?"

She nearly jumped from her seat at Yukito's voice. She had almost forgotten she was with him! Seeing that the waiter had come back with a writing pad and a pen in his hands, Sakura realized that he had come back for their orders. And she had barely read the menu! "Ah. Gomen ne," she said in embarrassment as the blush deepened even more. She quickly picked the special that the restaurant was offering and gave the menu to the waiter.

How the heck did she forget that she was on a date with Yukito?

-

"I-I should go," a girl with long dark hair said as she grabbed her purse from the kitchen counter. She avoided Eriol's azure eyes and ignored the constant beating coming from deep in her chest. "Arigato for the dinner."

Her legs carried her hurriedly out of the kitchen and into the hallway which lead to the front door. That kiss...his lips...the feel of it just burned into her memory. It had been...wow. She couldn't even find the words to describe it. And what he said surprised her. She would have never imagined that he would actually feel the same. He loved her. And she loved him.

But why was she running away? She had to flee. Tomoyo felt like an idiot. She had always thought of him as someone powerful and as someone who would never falter before anything. But she had seen his frustration just now. He had been that way because...of her.

All she had been thinking about was how Eriol was Clow Reed. But his words opened her eyes. He might've _been_ Clow Reed, but he wasn't anymore. He was Eriol. Hiiragazawa Eriol. And that's all.

You could never compare Eriol with Clow Reed. They may seem alike in a lot of ways, but they were also different in a lot of ways too.

Tomoyo felt so closed-minded. Eriol was the person she loved...not Clow Reed. Who cares if he was another person in another lifetime? That was then. This is now.

She heard his voice calling and his footsteps running after her. But she felt terrible. She couldn't face him now. Ignoring him, she reached for the front door's knob. But she noticed a red light surrounding it suddenly and as she turned, she realized that it was locked by magic. She reached for the regular lock on the door and clicked it open. But as she tried to turn the knob again, it was still stuck.

Eriol had trapped her.

The boy caught up with her quickly as she tried to open the door. He sighed as he pushed up his glasses that had fallen a bit from the quick run. "Why...are you running from me, Tomoyo?" He was confused. Why would she run from him? If they loved each other, wouldn't she rather be running _to_ him?

Unless...she didn't love him after all.

Eriol didn't get an answer but he refused to give up. They were going to straighten this up once and for all. It was a simple yes or no question: Do you love me or not? But it seemed to be so hard to get out.

She had her back turned to him and he walked towards her and gently turned her around to look at her face. To his surprise, she was crying.

"My angel, why are you crying?" he asked. It was a sight that he basically couldn't stand to see. His Tomoyo...crying. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have trapped you here. I just need to know something..."

Her voice cracked as she tried to hold in her stupid tears. "What is it?"

Pulling her closer, he got lost in her beautiful eyes. He was nervous as he readied himself for the question he was to ask. But he had to know the answer. "Do you...love me?"

There was a pause in time as she looked at him in disbelief. Of course she loved him! How could she not? "Baka..." she whispered softly. "Of course I do...I love you with all my soul."

A great weight lifted from his shoulders as his arms closed around her and pulled her closer. She loved him. She loved him! He had heard it straight from her mouth! He had never been so happy in his entire life. "I love you too, Tomoyo."

But he heard her choke on a sob as she began tearing again. His shirt suddenly became wet with her tears. Pulling away slightly, he looked down at her with concern. "Why are you crying? Please don't cry..." He slowly wiped a tear that was running down her cheek. "It feels horrible to see you cry."

She smiled through her tears at his kindness but then almost immediately, even more tears came. "H-How could you love me, Eriol? I've done nothing worthy to deserve you. I feel so stupid. The reason we had prolonged this confession...was because of me! All I did was think about how you were Clow and that I would never measure up to someone as great. That isn't worthy! I thought that when I'd begin to love someone, I'd love him wholly and perfectly. With you...I _do_ love you wholly...but not perfectly. I mean, I'm horrible! I've only thought about you being Clow Reed and that was holding me back! I'm so sorry! I _do_ love you, Eriol. I h-hope you know that." She grabbed onto his shirt and cried into it. "I feel so hypocritical. I've been trying to make Li-kun realize that he should tell Sakura how he feels...when _I_ should be the one telling the person I love how I feel. But I've held it back because I knew you were Clow Reed. But now I realize that you're Eriol. That's it. No more Clow Reed's reincarnation." She looked up with a watery smile. "You're just Eriol...the one who I love so much."

The boy was shocked at her words. But he smiled, realizing that Tomoyo had finally seen the truth. He was Hiiragazawa Eriol...and that was all. And she was crying because she had felt guilty for thinking that way.

Oh how he loved this girl.

He swooped down and caught her lips in an instant. His heart had been longing to do this for so long and this was the second time that they had kissed. But it was so much sweeter, knowing that it was pure love that made Tomoyo react back. He was kissing her so hungrily and with such passion but he knew that his appetite for her love would never cease. Each of her touches...each of her kisses...would only cause him to want to kiss her even more.

Eriol felt her warm, smooth hands rest on his face. He didn't care about anything except her now. It was just a world of him and her.

They loved each other. That was how it was supposed to be. Fate was so kind sometimes. If Clow Reed hadn't existed, there wouldn't be an Eriol. Then he wouldn't have been able to come to Tomoeda to help the Card Mistress. And then he wouldn't have been here with Tomoyo. He thanked Clow silently.

He was in such a good mood that he didn't even mind that Spinel Sun and Ruby Moon were secretly spying from behind a door.

-

Li Syaoran entered his dark apartment and didn't bother locking the door behind him nor turning on the light. The darkness of the night seemed to match his mood perfectly right now. Dragging his feet, he made his way to his room and collapsed on his bed. He felt numb as he lay there motionless. Everything about him seemed to be gloomy. His heart especially.

Damn it. Why did he have to fall in love with her? He had been fine before, hadn't he?

No, he hadn't. She had brightened up his entire life. She had made him feel like he was truly worthy to be alive instead of wishing he had been the one to be killed instead of his father. But now, he _did_ feel like he wanted to die. If he did, then he wouldn't have to go through all this pain.

The one person who seemed to understand him...the one and only person who he loved with all his heart...loved another man. A better man.

But he couldn't stop his heart from continuing to love her. Yes, it was excruciating to know that she loved someone else. But if he didn't love her...he wouldn't have a reason to live anymore. A life without loving her was like a life without breathing.

That's why he had to get out. Maybe the farther away he was from her the less she'd stop haunting his mind.

-

Sakura fidgeted as she slowly ate the food on her plate. For some odd reason, even though she ate, her hunger was never satisfied. She was too nervous when she was alone with Yukito. She was so self-conscious too. Even with Syaoran's warm jacket still on her shoulders, she still felt as if her shoulders were bare.

But she could practically smell his scent from the jacket. Sakura smiled a bit. It gave her a sense of comfort to know that he had wished her luck on this night. Actually, when she had been talking to him, for a split second she could feel intense hurt from him. But as quickly as it had come, it had suddenly been covered. She had been afraid that maybe Syaoran didn't like Yukito-san. But she was perplexed. Hadn't he encouraged her to tell Yukito how she felt? But what other reason was there for him to feel pain?

"Sakura-chan," Yukito suddenly said with a grin on his friendly face, "Do you want to take off your jacket? It's quite warm in here."

Sakura paused as she pulled the light jacket closer. The amber eyed boy came to mind. "No, it's okay," she replied with her voice below a whisper. She didn't know it, but on her cheeks was a tint of redness. "I like having it on."

"Where'd you get it?" he asked.

A soft smile came to her lips. Every hug they shared flashed in her memories. Every conversation replayed over and over again. Every single time he had smiled settled within her heart. She blushed a deeper red, but not because of Yukito-san's compliment as she would have thought. It was because she was thinking so much about Syaoran. "Syaoran-kun let me borrow it."

Yukito grinned down at her. "Ah, I see. He's a really good person."

Sakura nodded slowly as it dawned upon her that this 'date' somehow seemed wrong. But why? Hadn't she wanted to tell Yukito how she felt? "Yeah. He is..."

-

Syaoran was sitting on the front steps of his apartment. Beside him sat a small traveling bag with a bunch of random stuff he had stuffed in. He still had a lot of his belongings in his apartment, but he didn't feel like packing so much. He would send someone to gather them up later.

He had just called a cab a few minutes before and it should be arriving quite soon. From his pocket, he heard a little tune and sighed as he saw that it was from his home. Damn no good cellphone. He took it out and answered the call.

"Yeah?"

"Xiao Lang? Is it true? Y-You're coming home?" He noticed that it was Sheifa, the eldest.

"Yeah..."

But his sister sounded unsure. "But little brother...are you sure you want to do that?"

Syaoran felt a growl creep up his throat. What was wrong with this woman? Wasn't it just yesterday she had been crying and begging for him to return to Hong Kong? "Make up your fucking mind!" he screamed. "Do you want me to come back or not?"

Shiefa sounded shocked. "I-I'm sorry, Xiao Lang. I do want you to come back but-"

"Then just leave it at that!" Syaoran knew he wasn't really mad at his sister. But he had to get his anger out somehow. It just kept biting at him, making him go crazy. He was becoming bitter...again. He didn't want to be this way. But he couldn't help it. The hurt was just too much to bear, so he had to find a way to get it out. Anger seemed to be the only option.

"...I just thought that you liked it there. If you really want to stay there, then you should."

Shiefa's voice made him feel guilty. She sounded so upset. "I'm sorry for yelling, sister," Syaoran said with a sigh. "I...I haven't had such a great day. But don't worry..." He let out a chuckle that didn't sound too happy at all. "No one in this hellhole of a town wants me here anyway."

It was the truth. What would he do there anyway? Watch Sakura and Tsukishiro grow old together and get married? Oh no. He would forget her once and for all. He would forget everything. Her clumsiness, her warm hugs, her sweetness...her smile. He had to get over her. She was not his and never will be.

"Xiao Lang...?"

He suddenly didn't feel like talking. "Look, I gotta go. See you."

Syaoran hung up with the press of a button, not even bothered that he had interrupted something that his sister was about to say. Sighing, he pressed a bunch of buttons on the cellphone in an effort to get her off his mind. He went into his 'Notes' and growled in irritation. He had forgotten that Sakura had left him a note there. It had seemed like forever since she did it.

_Syaoran-kun! i'm so proud of u 2day! u were smilin like there was no 2morrow! haha! don't worry, i'm not makin fun of u. just smile more often ok? as i said before, u look really cute when u smile! i luv ya 'new best friend.' –sakura_

He started trembling, gripping onto the small phone tighter as Syaoran read it. He remembered the day. That was the day that he had finally smiled. It was the first time in a long while he had felt so very happy. And _she_ had been the one who caused it.

He couldn't handle it. Everything..._everything_...reminded him of her.

Luckily it was then that the cab stopped in front of the apartments and he quickly got in. Only a few more hours...and he would get out of this country. Away from her.

"Airport please."

-

"Oh wow. Dessert!" Yukito said in excitement as two sundaes appeared in front of them. Saying a quick thank you to the waiter, he gobbled down the delicious dessert without a moment to lose.

Sakura was smiling as she looked at her own. She picked up her spoon and was about to dip it into the ice cream but she paused. Chocolate...Syaoran's favorite flavor? She didn't how in the world she knew but she just did. It had suddenly entered her mind that he liked chocolate.

"What's wrong, Sakura-chan?"

She laughed a bit. "Oh, I just suddenly felt that...Syaoran's favorite ice cream flavor was chocolate for some reason." How embarrassing. "I don't know how. I just suddenly...knew."

He let out a chuckle. "Was it the 'connection' between you two?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Sakura realized that that could've been a reason. "I guess."

"Or you know what they say, ne? Sometimes random things about your soul mate come to mind." Yukito looked at her with laughing eyes as she blushed.

"Th-That couldn't be it." Soul mate? Her and Syaoran? They were just friends. Besides, her soul mate was sitting right in front of her. Yukito. He had been her crush ever since she could remember. At least...she thought he was. Suddenly her heart wasn't beating as fast as it was before whenever she saw him. Suddenly the sight of him didn't cause her to go into her "floaty" mood. And if she really liked him, then why was she thinking about...Syaoran?

"You really like, Li-kun, ne Sakura-chan?"

The question had startled her. She saw a kind smile on his face as he looked down to her. That smile...it didn't affect her heart anymore. "What do you mean?"

Yukito's smile softened even more. "I meant...you love Li-kun, don't you?"

She froze in her seat. She loved Syaoran? Was it true? Could it even be possible? Is that why she's been thinking nonstop about him recently?

Of course. She loved him. She loved Li Syaoran.

He was always the one for her and she didn't see it. She's been so blind and has been so caught up with thinking about other things that she never noticed. How could she be so stupid and dense?

"You do, don't you?" Yukito asked again.

Sakura paused before slightly nodding her head as she gazed into the distance. The thought was just so new and thrilling to her. "Hai...I love Syaoran-kun." Those words. They felt so good to say.

Her brother's best friend grinned widely. "You just figured it out, I guess? Then what are you doing here with me? Go tell him!"

But as always, the fear of rejection always comes. "Wh-What if he doesn't love me back?" she whispered. "What if he doesn't return my feelings?"

"At least you told him. Besides, you should tell him before the chance doesn't come again."

Yes. That was something Syaoran had said to her too. The opportunity will pass if she waited too long. She didn't care if he loved him back. Right now, the feeling was so exhilarating that it felt as if nothing could go wrong.

Sakura pushed her chair back, hugging her friend affectionately. "Arigatou! I'm going to tell him!" Before Yukito knew what was happening, she was already out of the restaurant.

He chuckled to himself as he watched her run. Surely things will get better for both Sakura and Li-kun now.

-

Syaoran was sitting on one of those uncomfortable airport seats with his luggage on his lap. He had read and reread the note on his cellphone over and over again until he finally decided it was best if he just turn it off. He didn't have the heart to delete it.

He was patiently waiting for the plane to be ready for lift off. It had been quite easy to get a flight. All he had to do was demand for a private plane and flashed his credit card in front of the guy's face. Of course, a bunch of reporters and cameramen had arrived at the scene literally just minutes after he had gotten his plane when word got out just who was in the airport. Even now the media along with common travelers were swarming around trying to get a look at him. Luckily, loads of security men had arrived also and had created a large circle around him so that he wouldn't be squished.

Talk about attention.

He couldn't stand the noise. The talking, the shouting, the million questions...couldn't people just shut up? He was stressed, depressed, upset, and a lot of other things. Syaoran just didn't want to deal with this.

He closed his eyes, and suddenly a warm feeling spread through him. It was so comforting and it even almost made him to crack a smile. He couldn't explain it but he knew it was definitely from Sakura. But he realized something. It wasn't only the feeling of pure happiness. It was the feeling of love.

The feeling that he felt for her...the feeling that he would forever have to bottle up inside of him...

Syaoran scowled immediately. She and Yukito were probably off somewhere making out or something and that's why she was feeling this.

He balled his hand into a fist. Dammit...why did it have to hurt so much?

-

Sakura ran through the streets in frenzy towards Syaoran's apartment. She didn't care if people stared at her because of her odd attire. Most people didn't wear pretty dresses to jog through the streets, after all. She didn't care if the pale green dress got ripped or messy. All she cared about was to see him and tell him.

She had never run so fast in her life before.

But the feeling she had been denying all this time was swelling up in her. Sakura was sure that if she kept it in any longer she'd just burst out shouting, "LI SYAORAN I LOVE YOU!" so loud that the entire world would hear. She couldn't wait to tell him. At the moment, even the thought of rejection didn't stop her. The love she had been hiding propelled her so much that the negative thoughts seemed to be left behind in the wind.

Kinomoto Sakura would tell Li Syaoran that she loved him even if she had to cross mountains, plains, seas, or deserts. Period.

She finally stopped in front of the apartment doors and panted. No other people except for the residents could go in unless they get permission by a resident inside or if they have a key. Sakura pressed a little button under Syaoran's room number and waited for his voice to come up on the speaker phone that was beside all the buttons. She would simply tell him that she needed to tell him something very important. When the little buzz sound comes up, she'd know that he had given her permission to enter the apartment building and the doors will be opened.

She waited...and waited. After about five minutes, she still didn't hear the buzz sound. What was taking him so long?

Getting impatient, she took out her cellphone and called his number. It didn't even ring once. It had gone straight to the voice mail. He had turned his phone off. She decided to use the third option. Concentrating hard, she closed her eyes as she tried to pinpoint his comforting aura with her magic.

Her emerald orbs opened to reveal bafflement. His aura...he seemed so far away.

Something didn't feel right. Why'd Syaoran be so far from Tomoeda?

Maybe Eriol-kun knew. Sakura started walking quickly in the direction of her friend's house. She tried to assure herself that Syaoran being so far away wasn't a big deal. Maybe he had gone to the city or something for a day.

But how'd he get so far in such little time? Wasn't it just a few hours ago that she had been hugging him in the park?

-

"Hey! Ruby Moon, stop changing the channel," Spinel grumbled to himself as Nakuru pressed random numbers on the remote. He sighed as she didn't comply. Burying his head into the couch he and his counterpart were sitting on, he mumbled something about annoying guardians.

Nakuru sighed as she kept switching channels absentmindedly. "I can't help it! I just know Eriol-sama and Tomoyo-san are being all romantic in there!" she said as she nodding towards the kitchen door.

"It's not our business anyway," Suppi said. "Let them have their alone time."

But she only pouted. "Nonsense! If only he hadn't sealed off all the entrances to the kitchen, I'd be able to catch them on video tape." She grinned. "You know, like catch Tomoyo-san with her own game?" Nakuru did a horrible impression of Tomoyo's maniac laugh.

The small cat-like creature shook his head. "You're impossible."

Suddenly, it was then that the resounding doorbell came to their ears. Before Nakuru could even get up to answer it, they both heard footsteps and Tomoyo's voice saying, "I got it!"

"I wonder who that could be," Spinel mused as he looked towards the door leading to the hall in curiosity. We aren't expecting any guests. Did you invite a friend over again without telling us? Last time you did that, the person had almost spotted me flying in the hallway!"

He didn't hear a response. He didn't even hear a tiny retort. "Ruby Moon, what's-"

The guardian was silenced as he realized that she had finally stopped switching channels. It had landed on the news. But none of them would have ever guessed just who the breaking story was about. The title of the story flashed across the top of the screen as the camera centered on an image of a teenage boy: **LIVE! Lost Li Returns**.

-

Tomoyo stopped washing a dish as she heard a deep doorbell resounding through the mansion. She and Eriol had just started washing the dishes once again. Actually, she had used it as an excuse to stay in his house instead of heading to her own home. She knew it was wrong, but how could she help it? Besides, she felt like a happily married woman as she stood there washing dishes while Eriol slightly hugged her. Occasionally, he'd even lean in to give her a peck on her cheek or neck. Tomoyo still couldn't help but giggle every time he did, even though they had been "officially" boyfriend and girlfriend for the past thirty minutes or so.

"Eriol," Tomoyo giggled as he pulled in for another quick kiss, "Don't you even care if we get these dishes all washed?"

He gave her a childish grin. "Not really."

Before she can either speak or continue rinsing the glass cup in her hand, he had taken her chin and faced her porcelain face towards him so he could capture her lips once more. He'd never get sick of this. And wow, imagine getting _married_ to this girl. He'd be able to kiss her and be with her every single day!

But paradise was rudely interrupted when the doorbell echoed through the quiet halls of the mansion. Eriol groaned and Tomoyo laughed as she turned off the faucet.

Damn doorbell. "Who could it be?" Eriol asked in frustration as he pulled a hand through his hair. "Just when we were finally getting some time alone..."

The girl just continued to laugh at his childish complaint. "Oh Eriol, there will be _lots_ of time for that in the future."

He grinned slyly. Could that be suggesting that they'd stayed together forever...like marriage? "Wait. You mean..."

To his surprise, she didn't even blush. Instead, Tomoyo gave him a slight shrug with a smirk on her lips. Before he could further ask her any questions, she had ran into the hallway leading to the front door. He quickly followed after her.

"I got it!" Tomoyo yelled as she neared the door with Eriol close behind. She was sure that she had left him curious with her last words. But that was the point.

Opening the door, she was surprised to see her best friend wearing the beautiful pale green dress she had made for her. "Sakura-chan? What are you doing here?"

Flushed and panting, the girl looked from Tomoyo to Eriol with a confused expression. "Tomoyo-chan? What are you doing here?" Wasn't this Eriol-kun's house?

A slight blush appeared of the couple's cheeks as they let her inside. Tomoyo decided not to tell her yet though. Besides, it was fun to see if one of their friends would notice that she and Eriol were together. "It's nothing. But what are _you_ doing here, Sakura?"

"Aren't you supposed to be on that...date?" Eriol added.

It was then that she blurted it. She just had to say it. "I love Syaoran!"

That had felt good.

Sakura watched her friends' faces change from shock to delight. "I-I was with Yukito and I realized it. I...love him."

Eriol was practically in hysterics. "Th-This is great news!" He grabbed her shoulders with one of the widest smiles she had ever seen. "You have to tell him, Sakura!"

Sakura nodded. She didn't bother wondering what was with their odd behavior and why they acted like they had predicted this from the start. Right now, her number one priority was to tell Syaoran. "I tried but I can't find him! I even tried calling his-"

It was then that Nakuru had run up to them from behind with Suppi sitting on top of her shoulder. The guardian stopped before them with anxiousness and frenzy written in her eyes. "E-Eriol-sama, I-I think you should see this." Without another word, she had led the confused teens into the living room where the news channel was still on the television.

"What's wrong, Na-" Tomoyo stopped in mid-sentence.

On the TV, was Li Syaoran being interviewed by a reporter as swarms of people pushed to get a glance of him. His face was pulled into a frustrated frown as the woman reporter repeatedly barraged him with questions.

"Tell us, why did you leave in the first place? Any particular reason? You had suddenly left your company without notice. Don't you realize how dangerous that is to your businesses without you to run things? Shouldn't have you at least left an explanation? Aren't you worried about your mother who has just recently been hospitalized?"

He glared into the camera as he rolled his eyes. "Don't you think you reporters have asked enough questions?" he clearly mumbled.

But the reporter ignored his comment. "Well?"

Syaoran sighed and turned his head away. "Private business. Besides, the company could manage on its own for awhile. Any of my sisters are more than capable of running it."

"May I ask what this private business is about?"

He scowled, somewhat uncharacteristically of the new Syaoran, surprising everyone in Eriol's living room. "Don't you know the meaning of private?"

She still ignored it. "Who did you stay with here? Friends? Family?" She began to look at his slyly. "Or maybe there is a secret love you have here in Japan?"

He glared at her. "No comment."

"So it's true then? You're in love with a Japanese woman?"

Syaoran closed his eyes a second, forgetting that he was on international television. The amber orbs opened, revealing a hurt expression. "...No comment."

He briskly turned away as the reporter began to ask yet another question. Syaoran had been long gone before the reporter had turned back to the camera to give a final comment. "And there you have it. Cold and strange actions from a man who had been missing these past few months as his family _and_ company slowly fall apart. Will his return to Hong Kong restore order? Or is it too late? And why _did_ he come to Japan? More info will be found later on." The woman looked to her right as the sound of the airport's intercom came. "It's seems that his private plane had just arrived! He will be leaving Japan in only a matter of minutes."

Everyone in the room looked towards a silent Sakura who hadn't moved a muscle ever since she had stepped into the room. Her eyes were wide with shock and confusion.

Had she just seen him on television? Had she just heard that his company was crumbling? Had she just heard that Yelan-san had been hospitalized?

Why hadn't he told her?

Why was he leaving...when she had just found out that she had feelings for him?

It couldn't be true. Syaoran leaving them? She hadn't even thought of the option. Sakura had always thought that he'd be with them in Japan forever. Actually, it had felt like he had been with them forever. It felt like he had always been here, that he had never been a stranger to them.

But...he was leaving. He was leaving her...

Her world had just fallen down upon her. And when Tomoyo had placed a comforting hand on her arm, it was then that Sakura realized that all this time, she had been shaking.

She didn't want him to leave. He couldn't. H-He wouldn't do that to her.

But he was. She had no more opportunities to tell him how she felt. Sakura had lost every single one of them. The last thing she was talking to him about was how she was going to meet Yukito for a date. How would he ever find out that she loved him now?

She watched as the television fixed its sight on Syaoran's retreating back which had just entered the elevated hall which led to the plane. She just wanted to cry out them. She just wanted him to just stop walking and just run back to her.

"Syaoran, wait…" she whispered.

He didn't turn around and run back. He wasn't going to stay.

But what right did she have to stop him? What right did she have to complain? His company and his mother were in trouble and China was, after all, his homeland. Why would he ever decide to stay in boring little Tomoeda?

Why was he leaving them...when she had just realized that all this time, he was the only one who had entered her heart?

-

Syaoran sighed as the seat belt light in his private plane went on. The plane was roomy and expensive, but it left a cold feeling on his heart. This was the plane that was going to take him away from Japan...from Sakura.

And he was in it.

He put on his seat belt as he sat on a roomy seat that had a dainty table in front. After a few minutes, he felt the plane move. He was leaving. After a slight rumble of the plane, he looked out the window as he felt the plane going upwards into the sky. The airport was becoming smaller and smaller as he rocketed into the evening sky.

Why didn't he feel any better?

Burying his head in his hands, he had to hold back a choke. The farther he went, the more he wanted to be with her. He had been wrong. No matter how far away, even if he had decided to go to the other side of the world...his heart would stay attached to her.

**TO BE CONTINUED **


	17. Longing

**Tied By Fate  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer**: I don't own CCS.

* * *

**Chapter 17:** Longing

He was tired. From his flight, from the press and reporters, from his emotions, just everything. Sighing, Li Syaoran pushed his way through a crowd of people who were waiting outside the Hong Kong airport. Ignoring all the questions and comments, he walked past them all and headed towards the long black limousine waiting for him. Sliding in, he closed the door and sighed. He was really starting to get a headache from all those people.

He saw a familiar face at the wheel. "Xiao-Lang..." the old man said.

Syaoran forced a smile upon his face. "Hello, Wei. Thank you for picking me up."

His long-time servant and friend gave a polite nod. "We've missed you." Wei didn't get a response and so he turned around and pushed the foot pedal. He knew something was wrong and upsetting his young master. Syaoran was too quiet, not that it was unusual. But Meiling-san had said he was actually happy in Japan and that he was a changed man. The young Li girl had even explained that Syaoran now _smiled_. Wei longed to see that innocent smile on his friend's face again. It had been so long since he had last seen it. Xiao-Lang never seemed happy anymore. It sometimes seemed like he even despised life itself.

If Syaoran was saddened now, then maybe his source of happiness in Japan had vanished? But what exactly was his source of happiness?

As they began down the road, Syaoran closed his tired amber eyes. As soon as he did, a flash of emerald crossed his mind. A cheerful, tinkling laugh was heard. A scent of cherry blossoms reached his nose.

Syaoran opened his eyes immediately and scowled in frustration. She just wouldn't leave his damn thoughts! She was everywhere! Sakura was like a silent plague, unrelenting when he came to appearing over and over again in his head.

He needed somewhere to think, to unscramble his thoughts. Yet he needed advice and comfort. A place came to mind. It was perfect.

"Wei," he whispered, his voice low and raspy. Maybe it was from the long flight. But he knew that it was probably from what he was about to say. "M-May I request a place to visit first?"

"Of course, Master."

Syaoran's throat felt dry and he swallowed. A cold, familiar shiver of guilt went through his spine just at the thought of the place. "Head for...my father's grave."

-

"Gomen, Tomoyo-san, Hiiragazawa-san," Fujitaka said sadly. "I'm afraid she's not going to school today."

A crestfallen look on Tomoyo's face appeared. She and Eriol were both at Sakura's front door. It was morning and time for school. After finding out that Syaoran had left, Sakura had gone into a depression, not speaking to either Tomoyo or Eriol at all. The raven-haired girl looked up to her boyfriend sorrowfully, her eyes reflecting frustration.

The azure eyed boy knew that look and it pained her to see her so sad. "Can we at least see her, Kinomoto-san? Onegai?" Eriol begged. "We really want to see her."

Fujitaka shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry but she refuses to see anyone. She won't even see me." He sighed aloud, feeling sorrow for his daughter. That boy, Li Syaoran, had left Japan. Ever since then, his daughter was upset.

She had feelings for that boy. Fujitaka just knew it. It was a father's instinct.

Li-kun seemed like such a nice young man. Of course, that wasn't what Fujitaka had first thought of the boy. He was certainly different from the first day he had laid eyes on him. It was as if Li-kun had gone through a whole transition while he had been here in Tomoeda. Even though Fujitaka hadn't spent much time with the boy, he remembered that day when he had passed by the house early in the morning when Sakura hadn't even woken up yet. Fujitaka welcomed him inside where he had been quiet and polite, almost seeming as if he was shy. Li-kun had an uncanny resemblance to his mother, Li Yelan. They both hid their emotions and acted as though they had been brought up to be prim and proper. Yet when people saw past their status, they were caring people who obviously needed to get away from their heavy responsibilities. Fujitaka always remembered how much his student, Yelan, would strive to be her best at everything. It was as if she was being scrutinized every single second. Was that how it was in the Li clan?

But that boy, Li Syaoran. Fujitaka pitied him. It seemed that Li-kun would always blame himself for allowing his father to die. The boy thought everyone blamed him for it, including his mother. But Fujitaka knew how much Yelan loved her son. It was a single parent's natural instinct to love their children and give them a push to make them strive who they want to be. But maybe Yelan had pushed too hard. Maybe, instead of letting him choose his path of life, she had molded Li-kun into someone she expected him to be...

...the owner of a multibillion company and the leader of a legendary, prodigious clan...

...whom his daughter loved dearly.

Sighing, Fujitaka turned to the two children in front of him. "Gomen ne. Maybe you could stop by later after school and see if she wants to talk then. I'm really worried about her so I decided to take the day off and stay here. Please stop by again."

Eriol sighed as he ran a hand through his dark hair. "O-Of course Kinomoto-san. We'll be back. Please...take care of her."

As the door closed and the two teens went on their way towards the school, there was a deathly silence. It had seemed that everything around them was gloomy. Even the usually chirping birds were silent.

As he walked along, Eriol just couldn't understand it. Why would Syaoran leave? Now Sakura and everyone else were miserable. The reincarnation cursed himself. Maybe his theory on how Syaoran and Sakura were meant to be together was wrong. So what if they were bonded and felt each other's feelings? That didn't mean he had the right to bring Syaoran here and test out his little prediction. Eriol was disgusted with himself. It was as if he had set up this whole experiment to see if he was right! He had basically played with Syaoran's and Sakura's hearts and had tried matching them up as if they were puppets!

He stopped walking, his palms balled up into fists. Eriol didn't even notice that Tomoyo had stopped a little ways ahead of him.

Eriol loathed himself. How could he do that to two of his best friends?

"DAMMIT!"

His fist collided with the white concrete wall next to him as Tomoyo jumped at his outburst. She looked at him with sad amethyst eyes. "Eriol..."

"It's my fault! I brought Syaoran here, thinking I could change him, thinking that maybe Sakura and he were soul mates. What was I thinking? I played with them! Maybe they weren't soul mates at all and this whole '_connection_' between them was just a coincidence? Maybe they weren't supposed to meet. Maybe I had just gone way over my head and just fucked up their lives!"

Tomoyo shook her head slowly as she neared him. She hated to see him this way. He barely cursed and it scared her to hear that he was so angry with himself. He thought he was wrong, but he wasn't. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't say such things. I still think you're right. What about the description of their '_connection_' in your magic books?"

He looked at the love of his life in despair and guilt. "You would believe some piece of paper? I ruined them. I ruined both of them."

"No you didn't," Tomoyo persisted strongly. "How could you say that you ruined them? They're in love! And your mission in helping Li-kun worked! For the first time, Li-kun has finally smiled, has finally expressed how he felt inside. It was all because of Sakura. And for the first time, I've actually seen a look of pure joy on Sakura's face. She had never talked about someone with so much feeling except when she talked about Li-kun. They're in love. You didn't ruin them. You helped them."

After he had let the words settle on his soul, Eriol's eyes became gentle as he wrapped Tomoyo in his arms. It was amazing how she made him feel so peaceful so suddenly. Her words were like magic and were even stronger than his real magic power that could once cause storms. She had calmed his angry spirit and had even lessened the guilt he felt.

God...he loved her.

"Th-Then why is it that everything's like this? Why did Syaoran leave? Sakura had just realized her feelings and he left out of the blue," Eriol wondered. "Is it because of his mother and the company?"

In his arms, Tomoyo shook her head slowly. "I don't think so." She looked up at Eriol's azure eyes. "Remember on TV? Did you see his expression? It was as if he was heartbroken."

The sorcerer nodded, remembering the miserable look on his friend's face. "Then it has to be something with Sakura. But what?" Then suddenly, Eriol's eyes widened in realization. "Remember at school yesterday? Syaoran was acting all distant and we concluded it was because he felt Sakura's happiness when she had been thinking about Tsukishiro-san. They were going to have a date last night and she was excited. Syaoran knew Sakura was thinking about him, but he didn't know about the date."

Tomoyo nodded. "I remember."

"Maybe he found out about it."

The girl's eyes widened at his suggestion. "B-But how? Neither you nor I told him..." She searched Eriol's eyes for the answer to the confusing predicament. Then it hit her. Maybe the person who told Syaoran about the date had been someone they hadn't expected.

Maybe it had been Sakura herself.

-

The breeze swept through his hair as he approached a slab of stone. It was among many other slabs of stone, but the particular one in front of him was different.

It was his father's grave.

Syaoran stayed far from it, nearly five feet away. He was shivering as the emotion filled him. He had never visited his father's grave...ever. He had refused to, thinking that he couldn't dwell on the past and should move on.

But in reality, he was only running away.

It was odd as he stood there. He had thought that it would be awkward staring at the grave. But in fact, it was actually comforting. Syaoran figured that it was because whenever he was near his father, even when he was dead, a wave of calmness came over him.

It was indeed somewhere where he could think.

Syaoran suddenly felt his feet moving as he neared the grave even more. Then, in his own surprise, he sat down on the ground and leaned his back against the grave. Another breeze swept by as he came in contact with the stone.

He suddenly felt right at home.

Closing his eyes, he swallowed a lump in his throat. Syaoran thought about all the things that were going on right now. The company and clan...his mother and sisters...Sakura. He suddenly felt stifled, as if he was choking underwater. He didn't know what the hell he should do.

He felt...lost.

And it was all because of _himself_. He had brought this upon himself. Syaoran had been too weak in saving his father, hadn't been good enough for the clan, had started acting cold towards his family...had fallen in love with Sakura.

It was his fault.

"Father..." he choked, "d-did I ever tell you that I was sorry? I'm sorry for not being able to help you. If I had, you would still be alive. The clan would be happier and better off with you as the leader. Mother and my sisters would certainly love having you around. And..." Syaoran voice trailed off. The image came to him again. Sakura... "And I wouldn't have gone to that damn Tomoeda and fallen in love with her!"

He slammed his fist against the ground in frustration.

"Why the hell did you leave me? Dammit. I can't take all of this, you know! I can't take the pressure, the guilt, the pain. Don't you care about me at all?"

Syaoran growled and buried his head in his hands. He felt trapped. Alone. He had no other ways to turn to. Everything around him seemed to be going wrong. But this was his reality...he could no longer run away from it. Japan had been a dream, a paradise. He had friends there and had actually been happy. It was because of her. Sakura. She was the reason why he had stopped thinking so hard, the reason why the pressure of the clan had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders. She had changed him. He had smiled. He had laughed. He had talked.

He had loved.

It felt like an illusion now. His happiness had been short lived. Reality hit. The damn clan was in trouble. His mother had a heart attack.

And Sakura loved another.

"Please Father...j-just help me. I know you're dead because of me but c-could you just do me one favor? Help me. I need it. I have no where to go...no one to turn to. All I have is to confront my responsibility and become the leader again. But I can't. I've learned too much in Japan. S-Something's always missing."

He knew what it was too.

"Sakura. I know it. She's the one I need, the one who seems to lesson the pressure. She made me smile again, made me laugh. She changed me." Syaoran sighed aloud. "I love her. She's the only one I'll ever love."

Yet another breeze swept through him. However, this time, the wind felt warm against his skin. It was as if...arms had just enveloped him.

A slight smile caught his lips. "You're here aren't you? You're watching me. You always were. You don't blame me for your death. Nobody does. Not even Mother. _I _was the one who was blaming myself. It was me. I think I knew it all along. But I hid it deep inside because...because it gave me a reason to loathe my responsibility. If everyone hated me then I was allowed to hate them back, to hate my life." The desolate teen scoffed at himself. "I've always been running from the truth, haven't I? I even ran away from her...the girl that changed me."

He shook his head slowly.

"But could you blame me? She's in love with someone else."

Syaoran lifted his head from his hands. It was wet. Was it raining?

No. He had been crying. Syaroan reached for his eyes. He _still_ was crying.

He had not cried for a long time...not even at his father's funeral.

That was because he had been running away from it all, bottling it all up inside him. Well he was no longer a coward. He wasn't running anymore. He faced the facts.

His company and clan was a mess. His mother, who he had always thought blamed him, was in the hospital. His sisters were distressed. He had left the only friends he had ever had. He had even left Sakura...because she didn't love him back.

It all hurt. It hurt badly.

He had experienced hurt before. But this time, he was no longer holding back. He cried. It wasn't a sob or a sniffle. Silent tears simply left his eyes.

But with every tear, another drop of guilt left him. He no longer blamed himself. It wasn't anyone's fault that his father was dead. Syaoran had only been a kid then so how could he have stopped the bullets? A weight lifted from his shoulders.

His father's death wasn't his fault.

-

A tiny paw touched her cheek and awoke her from her deep trance. Sakura looked to the small stuffed animal who was sitting in front of her face. She stifled a sniffle and covered her body with her blankets.

She wanted to be left alone.

Kero frowned at her reaction. This was what he had been dealing with for the past day. She was so stubborn. She had refused to get up from that stupid bed and had even refused breakfast and lunch! He really was getting worried about her. "Sakura...Tomoyo and Eriol stopped by earlier. Just though you would want to know."

He heard a muffled noise from the blankets and heaved a sigh. He knew she didn't want to see him right now. The stuffed animal floated back into his little room in Sakura's desk drawer, a growing anger inside him. It was all that gaki's fault! He had done something to his mistress and he would pay dearly! Kero knew that boy was bad news. He had hurt Sakura more than once and now this? Kero was honestly glad the kid had left the country, but he suddenly wanted him back. Sakura wanted him back. That's why she was crying.

And it was painful to see her this way.

As the rather roomy cabinet closed with a slight click, Sakura slowly lifted her head from underneath the covers. Her small, loyal Kero had left her alone to her thoughts.

Sakura ducked under the blankets again as she cuddled her body closer. But no matter what she did, she always felt cold.

Empty and cold.

She couldn't feel him. She couldn't feel his comforting, warm green aura anymore. He was gone. He had gone far, far away. And what made it worse was that Sakura still couldn't feel his emotions. She wasn't even sure if they still had the little '_bond_' between them anymore. It's either that or Syaoran was still keeping his emotions hidden. Oh, how she wished he would put down that wall of his.

She was desperate for any little reminder of him. She loved him. And she had all this time while he was here so she could tell him. But no. She was stupid. The night when he was to leave, he finds out that she's going to go on a date with Yukito.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

She really longed to see him, to tell him how she felt. But let's face it. Maybe it was futile? He left Japan for his clan and company. And besides, Hong Kong is his home, his birthplace. He was a busy, important man. He had so much responsibility while she was just a lazy, little girl who refused to get out of bed! Why would Syaoran ever even listen to her confession? He probably had swarms of rich, famous girls that would be much more suitable for him that she was. Who wouldn't like that guy? He had looks, talent, personality, and even a sense of mystery behind his cute face. He had changed so much too. Syaoran had been an arrogant boy and suddenly transformed into the most caring person in the world. There was just so much about him and so much she just wanted to uncover.

His warm hugs and those eyes...

Sakura cringed under the covers as tears fell from her closed eyes.

Li Syaoran and Kinomoto Sakura? What an unlikely match. But she still loved him with all her heart.

Oh god. Will this ever pass?

Probably not.

-

Syaoran walked into a pair of sliding glass doors into a large hallway. He swallowed a lump in his throat at the sight of the place.

White. Cleanliness. The smell of a distinct...

...hospital.

He hated hospitals. They always made him queasy for obvious reasons. This was the place of death. They always brought back the sight of tears, of his father's blood, of fear...of guilt. But after that occurrence at his father's grave, he felt a bit better. He still hated standing inside the building, but he could at least bear it.

As his guide, Wei led the way past the busy nurses and doctors. Syaoran followed behind slowly, taking in all the different colors and aspects he could possibly see. Walking through the pure white walls felt like a dream. It was as if every step he took only made him more lost in an endless maze of anxiousness. But he kept up with his old butler and finally, they stopped in front of a wooden door, their final destination. He stared at it, suddenly feeling a bit small.

Wei looked down at him with a slight smile. "Go on, Xiao-Lang. Your mother's waiting for you."

His mother...

Syaoran barely gave Wei a nod before he gripped the doorknob and opened the door. The next sight he saw scared him. In the middle of the white room was a woman laying on a clean bed. He almost didn't recognize his own mother. From where he stood, she was a deathly pale, even paler than when she wore her customary makeup. He stood several steps closer to her and started to wonder just when she started to look so old. Syaoran had always thought of her as the strong woman, the backbone of the family. She was stern at times yet timid and sweet at others.

Just like a mother should be.

Apparent wrinkles had appeared on her face. Her hair wasn't combed as straight as she always wanted it. Her closed eyes seemed to be hiding a pair of tired eyes. And the tubes and wires around her just didn't suit someone like his mother.

She was supposed to be the strong one. He had never seen her so...weak.

It was then that he realized just how much he admired and loved his mother. No matter what she had put him through, no matter how much he thought she hated him...she had been the one who had brought him to this world.

He gently lifted one of her pale, frail hands. Syaoran felt so guilty. He hadn't been here to help her at the time of the heart attack. There must've been much stress on her.

Suddenly, she stirred. Within a few seconds, she had lifted her heavy eyelids and spotted him. To his surprise, her eyes weren't tired at all. They still had immense nobleness lost within them. Just like they always had.

Yelan forced a tired smile upon her face. "Xiao-Lang...You're here."

He nodded and sighed. "I'm sorry, Mother. I'm sorry I wasn't here. I should've been here. I-"

"Hush, my son," she interrupted weakly. "I just haven't been keeping up with my health. The doctor said I should be fine in a couple of days. I'm just..."

"...weak."

His mother smiled again. "That's right."

He shook his head slowly, wondering how she could be so calm at a moment like this. Syaoran leaned down to her, clasping her hand in his lightly. "Mother, you are not the sort of person that should be weak! You're strong! You've always been strong! Not only for yourself, but for all of us." He suddenly felt frustrated with himself. "I should've stayed here in Hong Kong. If I did then you wouldn't be-"

Her arm feebly reached up and touched the side of his face. It made him shut up completely and he stared at her with an aggravated expression. He was so angry at himself for making her go through this. "Look, son. Don't blame yourself." Her dark eyes were flashing. "Don't you dare blame yourself for _anything_. You did nothing."

Silence followed as Syaoran took in her stern words with an impassive look on his face. He knew what she was implying. She was really saying, "Don't blame yourself for your father's death." Before he could reply, his mother broke the tenseness with a long sigh.

"Xiao-Lang, I've always wanted to tell you that...I'm sorry. I'm sorry for putting you through all that responsibility at a young age. I'm sorry I didn't fight the Elders when they persisted that you train and study everyday. I know of the pain I caused you...but I only wanted you to become a great leader. And it worked..." Her face grew sullen. It was hard to admit that she was wrong, yet she had to do this. She had to finally confront him of how she really felt. "...but I may have lost your love through the circumstances. But that's all right if you hate me. I just want you to know...I don't blame you for your father's death. I never did. And although I _do_ see many traces of him through you, it doesn't sadden me. It brings joy to me that I have a living, daily reminder of him. I never blamed you. And you shouldn't blame yourself."

After her moving speech, Syaoran suddenly felt relieved. His mother never hated him. She had never blamed him. It really was he who was blaming everything on himself. "I know that now, Mother. I think I've always known it. I've been a fool and a coward for trying to bury myself with shame and guilt. The responsibility before me is simply too great. But I've decided that it doesn't matter how hard or how unhappy my life is. I owe it to him. I owe it to Father."

Yelan smiled up at him, marveling just how amazing her son had grown up to be. He was a different man, it seemed. And she knew just who had been the one to change him.

Sakura.

Oh how she longed to thank the girl for instilling hope and love in his heart again.

"I see that you've spoken to him," she whispered. "You've gone to his grave...finally."

"I couldn't keep running forever."

At that, she shook her head sadly. There was something else that was bothering her. Something that her son may regret for the rest of his life. "But my son, I think you are still running...still trying to hide..."

Syaoran suddenly grew stiff. He knew exactly what she was talking about. Or rather..._who_ she was talking about. The mere mention of her brought his senses crashing and his heart pounding with both love and distress.

"You're here in Hong Kong, meaning that you've left Tomoeda, Japan," his mother stated. Her eyes grew stern. "Meaning that you've left the one woman who had meant so much to you? You're running from Sakura."

It was a clear fact. He knew it. But hearing it from someone else, especially his mother, made it sound ten times worse. He still felt like a coward, trying to escape one huge obstacle in his life. It was the biggest obstacle he knew he'd ever face. But he just couldn't. He couldn't bring the happiness – the only happiness – back in his life. It was too late. "Mother, I love her. But she...she..."

Yelan watched has her son's face twisted in a mix of anger and sorrow. He was in such an emotional battle and yet she knew she couldn't do anything for him. This was his battle, one that he would choose. He would choose the path of his life from now on. Mother or not, she had no more power over him. She wouldn't repeat what she had done to him when he was only ten. She wouldn't push him any longer. And although she knew that there might be a slight chance that it may ruin his life by picking the wrong path, she knew it was the right thing to do. All she could do was to give him some advice. "Xiao-Lang, love is a very complex emotion. All I can tell you is that listen to what your heart tells you. No matter how idiotic or unreasonable the path may be, it will be the right one as long as you follow your heart."

Follow his heart? It was impossible.

How could he if it was broken?

-

Back in Japan, Eriol and Tomoyo had paid a little visit on their distressed friend whether Sakura wanted it or not. The usually crazed camera girl was seated on the bed next to a tear stained Sakura who didn't even seem she knew her best friends were there despite the fact that Tomoyo had laid a hand on her shoulder. The amethyst eyed girl sighed in the tense silence and looked to Eriol who was pacing back and forth with Kero on his shoulder. He simply returned the sad look.

What the hell were they supposed to do now?

Tomoyo turned back to Sakura who had a fresh batch of tears running down her face. "Oh, Sakura...don't cry." She gave her usually chirpy friend a hug which she didn't receive back.

Sakura was just sitting there...like an empty vessel.

Eriol and Tomoyo knew this was serious. Sakura had never had this bad a breakdown and the ones that she did have, she would have talked about it. Syaoran's leave had affected her badly. And because their beloved friend was depressed, there was a domino effect. Now everyone around her was just as sad as she was.

"Oh, Xiao-Lang..." Eriol said beneath a sigh. He looked towards the ceiling in exasperation. "Look what you did."

"When was the last time you saw him, Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked gently, patting her back. At first, she was afraid she wouldn't answer but surprisingly, Sakura did respond.

"Yesterday. Before meeting with Yukito."

Her raspy, emotionless voice scared everyone in the room.

"Did he know you were going to meet Yukito?" Eriol asked as he took a seat in the chair at the desk.

Sakura stifled a sob and nodded slowly.

Eriol, Tomoyo, and Kero looked at each other silently, all with the same knowing look.

They now knew the real reason he had left. He had been heartbroken.

-

Syaoran walked straight into his house – really a mansion – and paid no heed to the silent stares from the maids and butlers. He really didn't feel like dealing with them anymore. He didn't even bother telling the rest of his family that he was here. They knew he was already, but they smartly decided to leave him alone. Besides, he was emotionally worn-out from everything he had encountered today, from coming back to Hong Kong, to visiting his father's grave, and to confronting his mother.

Although it was only late afternoon, he wanted to sleep. He wanted to sleep and never wake up. He just wanted to forget everything, to not feel anything. Besides, his magic was weakening. All day, he had managed not to let his emotional wall break down despite all the things he had encountered. He had thought it would eventually crack, but amazingly enough, it hadn't.

Sakura still didn't feel anything he felt. And honestly, he didn't know what on earth she was feeling right now either. He knew for certain that she wouldn't have covered her emotions like he had done. She just wasn't like that.

Syaoran entered his old room and for a minute. This room was grand and was even bigger than his apartment back in Tomoeda. But for some reason he began to desperately miss his small room in Japan. He didn't need the fine draperies, the king sized bed, silk sheets, and all the other lavish decorations. He didn't need them at all. His apartment had been great to him, even though he had been lonely.

Loneliness...he remembered back in his first days in Tomoeda. He had been alone and depressed, always thinking of his father as he had always done before. But suddenly, he realized that he wasn't alone. He had friends and family. And although he had still blamed himself for his father's death at the time, he hadn't had the chance to think about it because all he had done was...

...think about Sakura.

He shook his head and collapsed on his huge bed. Closing his amber eyes, he wondered how on earth he was going to go back to work and pretend that nothing was wrong. His visit to the small town of Tomoeda had been an eye opener.

Maybe Eriol's theory had been right. Maybe Syaoran _was_ supposed to be there when the Cards were released. In fact, maybe Syaoran was supposed to be born there, to have a whole different life. He wouldn't be part of the Li Clan and he wouldn't be the chief of his company. He would simply be Syaoran.

His eyes opened in shock as a realization hit him.

Had he just called that four-eyed reincarnation...by his first name?

Before he could contemplate about it, the door suddenly burst open, revealing a furious certain cousin of his. Syaoran sat up and gave her a blank look. "Hi, Meiling."

The ruby eyed girl looked at him in both shock and anger. That was _all _he had to say? She strode towards him and grabbed him by his shirt's collar. "'Hi, Meiling'? _'HI, MEILING'?_ Don't you 'Hi, Meiling' me! What the hell are you doing here, you bastard! Why aren't you in Japan like you belong?"

Syaoran could barely breathe. "M-Meiling, I-"

"I told you to tell her you love her! Not run away! You idiot!"

"Meiling, wait-"

She shook her head, her eyes burning with flames. "Syaoran, you were _happy_! Happy! For once in your life, you no longer had to worry about anything! Why did you leave that, hm? You're so stupid! Do you know how much I sacrificed? Do you know just how much I had to tell myself that you and Sakura were meant to be? _I gave up my love to make sure you were happy_! And now this? Now you run away from it all like a coward-"

Syaoran roughly got out of her hold and silently glared at her. And it scared her. Syaoran had never looked at her like that. "She doesn't love me."

It was such a simple sentence but it immediately shut the girl up. She stared at him wordlessly as it all began to make sense. The pain and anger in his eyes, the way his face simply refused to smile or smirk.

He was heartbroken.

She suddenly felt a great pang of regret. She was so dumb for saying all of that. "Oh, Syaoran...I-I'm sorry...I-"

"It's all right," he replied curtly.

"But it's not," Meiling whispered. "I was wrong. But you still left everything you ever wanted there. You still ran away."

"What was I supposed to do!" Syaoran yelled sharply, making her jump. "Stay there and fucking watch them love each other?"

"Maybe it's a misunderstanding," Meiling said slowly. She had been so sure that Sakura had loved him back. She had given him those looks that had so much feeling in them. Surely they weren't for nothing.

"THERE'S NO MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT IT!"

The girl flinched at his shout and looked at him in desperation. "Syaoran, maybe you should talk to her. Maybe-"

She stopped in mid-sentence as he gave her the darkest stare she had ever seen.

"You want me to fucking talk to her? Do you _enjoy_ seeing me in pain, Meiling? Get out."

Meiling sighed. "But-"

"Get out!"

She gave him a stern look and headed to the door. But before she had entirely left, she gave him one last look. "Think about it, Syaoran. Whenever Sakura had looked at you, talked about you, was around you...her eyes lit up. And when you smiled, she would return the biggest smile anyone had ever seen. You think that was only because she thought of you as a friend?"

Syaoran simply rolled his eyes, still aggravated by the argument he and his cousin had just had. "That's bullshit. Why the hell would you notice all of that?"

Her eyes softened and became distant yet angry. "B-Because..._I_ used to do all of those things, Syaoran. Of course I'd notice something when someone else did the same."

And with that said, she slammed the door behind her.

-

"Sakura, do you want some soup?" asked her father as he poked his head in the room. Sakura didn't even give him a glance as she shook her head and he sighed. Fujitaka turned to the others who had been in the room, trying to cheer his daughter up. "Hiiragazawa-san, Daidouji-san, would you like some?"

They both politely refused and the concern father closed the door to leave them in privacy once more. Eriol and Tomoyo had stayed there in Sakura's room all afternoon, desperately trying to talk to her. Yet they still had little progress. Their adored Sakura-chan was simply unreachable.

Eriol ran a hand through his hair as he tried to give Tomoyo a reassuring smile when she looked his way. But he was tired with grief. His love and his friend were both in a state of extreme misery and he could do nothing about it. And he was almost certainly sure that Syaoran was also in the same state. How were they supposed to get through this? It was all a misunderstanding and yet it had gone too far. They needed something, _anything_, to get their friend out of her depression.

It seemed it would never come.

Suddenly, a joyful little tune broke their trances. It was a cell phone. Sakura's cell phone.

"Where's your phone, Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked, trying to find the familiar pink cell. She received a simple shrug.

Kero dug under a pile of clothes and came back with the ringing phone in his paws. He silently gave it to Eriol and he answered with a sigh.

"Moshi moshi?"

A slight pause followed and he thought that the person had hung up. But then a quiet, teary voice was heard. "_E-Eriol?_"

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. The female voice was familiar. Too familiar. Suddenly he recognized it. "Meiling?"

"_Hai. Is Sakura there? I need to talk to her._" A stifled sob was heard from the other line.

Eriol looked uncertainly to the two ladies sitting on the bed. Tomoyo looked at him in confusion as Sakura just dazed up into space. "I don't think she's in the state of speaking right now. Gomen."

"_Then put me on speaker phone or something! Please, it's important!_"

His friend sounded so desperate that he couldn't refuse her. Eriol put her on speaker phone with a push of a button. "Okay. You're on."

A loud sigh was heard followed by a choked out voice. "_Sakura. I know you're there listening. I also know that you're not going to answer me but please...just hear me out._" Another pause as Meiling tried to regain her composure. "_Syaoran didn't want to leave. I'm sure of it. In fact, he's miserable here in _ _Hong Kong__. Please, you've gotta help me. I don't want him to suffer anymore. I don't want him to go back to how he used to be before he met you. _ _Hong Kong__ is no longer his home. Wherever YOU are is. Sakura, he's heartbroken without you. And I'm not sure what the hell happened...but I'm sure what I've heard isn't true. You love him right? You love _ _Li_ _Syaoran__, right Sakura?_"

A silence came over them as Eriol, Tomoyo, and Kero all awaited Sakura's answer even though they all knew what it was already.

Sakura's eyes softened as she looked down at the ground. "I do."

Meiling had heard it clearly even though it was merely a whisper. "_Then please. Help him._"

Sakura drew in a breath and closed her eyes. "I can't," she replied. "I love him but..."

"_Don't tell me you're afraid, Sakura. You've been through many things. Capturing the Cards, transforming them. Besides, he needs you. And you need him._"

"But Meiling-"

"_No!_" the Chinese girl interrupted. "_No more buts. I've tried to give him happiness before. I really did. But I found that I can't. The only one who can is you!_" Meiling's voice grew louder, more confident. The teary voice suddenly disappeared in a fit of determination to get the two soul mates back together. "_So I gave up my love for him! Even though it tore my heart out, I gave up. For you, Sakura. You and Syaoran were meant to be together. Why do you think you're 'bonded?' Eriol, Tomoyo, and I all know it. That 'connection' between you two proves that you guys are soul mates. Sakura, he loves you._" The volume of her voice lessened as she sighed. She was openly crying now. Everyone knew it by the way her voice continuously wobbled. "_Don't go against your fate, Sakura_."

Silence overcame all of them as Meiling desperately tried to calm her tears. They were all looking curiously at Sakura who still was dazing into the air blankly. It seemed that she hadn't heard anything that Meiling had said. But they knew better. They knew that deep inside Sakura was contemplating about what Meiling had said...

...hopefully.

Another sigh was heard from the phone. "_W-Well...I know I'm not going to get a response so I'll go. But think about what I said_." At that, Meiling forced a happy tone to be present in her voice. "_T-Talk to you guys later, okay? Ja_."

Click. Seeing that she had hung up, Eriol ended the call on the cell. Unfortunately, the silence was still present between everyone. And it wasn't going to end any time soon unless Sakura said something first.

Amazingly enough, she did.

"Guys...thanks for being here but...do you think I could be alone for awhile?"

It wasn't what Tomoyo and Eriol had wanted to hear but they knew they should let her think about it for awhile. Maybe it would do her good.

The two nodded as they gave her quick smiles and headed to the door. When they had closed the bedroom door behind them, Tomoyo suddenly buried her head in Eriol's shirt, crying silently. He, in turn, immediately wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort the girl.

"I-I miss her, Eriol. I miss Sakura. The _real _Sakura. I miss Li- kun, too," she said, her voice muffled by his shirt.

Eriol closed his eyes and sighed. "I do too, Tomoyo."

-

Syaoran sat limply on top of his bed as the sky darkened around him. Yet he didn't get up to turn on the lights. He was too...oh he didn't even know anymore! There were so many things...so many feelings.

And they were here to stay for the rest of his miserable life.

He needed to see her. Desperately. He needed to talk to her, hear her voice, see her beautiful smile.

Goddamn it. He needed _her_. Period.

But as much as he wanted to see her, there was a larger part of him that knew that if he did, his heart would just break all over again. Her smiles weren't for him. Her love wasn't for him. _She wasn't for him_.

But oh how he wished she was.

Closing his eyes, a sudden, recent memory took over him.

"_Otou-san said that whenever I feel a breeze that it's okaa-san talking to me." Her giggles reached his ears. "And I know I sound crazy but sometimes when I need to talk to someone, whether it be Tomoyo, or Eriol, or otou-san, or okaa-san but they're not there, I say it to the air. Onii-chan always said that the person will hear you no matter what. He said that whenever I needed him, I should just say it to the wind and he'll come running," She paused and turned red. "Oh wow, I'm sorry," she said, laughing._

_Syaoran shook his head with a smile on his face. "I think you're brother's right, actually. They say that as long as you say it with your heart, the person you want to talk to will hear you."_

_Sakura grinned. "So that means that I could talk to you anytime, doesn't it?"_

"_Of course."_

She was just so...innocent. God, he loved her.

Despite the situation, a slight smile came to his lips. Say it to the air and she'll hear, eh? Will she come running?

Closing his eyes, he said the following words with as much emotion as he could ever muster:

"_I miss you, Sakura_."

-

Lying on her bed in the dark, Sakura was still shaken from what Meiling had said a couple of hours before. Was it true? Did the '_connection_' with Syaoran have to do with them...loving each other? Did Meiling really give up her love for them to be together? And most of all...was what Meiling said true?

Did Syaoran really love her?

Sakura knew that Meiling definitely didn't sound like she was lying. But it was hard to believe. The thought made her ecstatic with happiness, but it was still hard to believe.

Could it possibly be true? If it was, Sakura wondered just how long he had...loved her. How blind had she been to everything?

...Did this mean that if she could tell him how she felt...they'd be...?

Suddenly, an almost inaudible whisper was heard through her sensitive ears.

"_I miss you, Sakura_."

Sakura couldn't believe it. It had sounded just like...

A genuine smile found its way to her face. He had remembered their encounter in the park yesterday. She had told him about her silly belief that if you whisper something into the air, the person you're speaking to will hear you.

Now she had to go run to him. She had to answer his call.

...And that was exactly what she was going to do.

She had made up her mind. She'd go to Hong Kong. She'd sort this whole thing out and clear the misunderstanding. She no longer cared if they were in two separate worlds and if they seemed like two completely different people. Sakura loved Li Syaoran and she was going to tell him.

Besides...she simply wanted to see him. One day without him was enough. She wasn't planning on having this depression continue.

**TO BE CONTINUED **


	18. Selfish

**Tied By Fate  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Card Captor Sakura or any of the characters.

* * *

**Chapter 18:** Selfish

The tiring class passed quietly as Tomoyo anxiously waited to get out of the wretched place. She couldn't believe that she was here rotting in this place while her best friend was depressed, and Li-kun was all the way in Hong Kong!

Why the heck was she in school?

But she had no choice. That morning, before the school bell rang, she and Eriol had visited Sakura again. She looked a bit better, a bit stronger, but still a long way from becoming fully restored like before. Sakura still didn't seem like the Sakura Tomoyo had always known. But, Sakura had a different look in her emerald eyes that morning. Tomoyo had noticed and was sure that Eriol had noticed it, too. She looked...

...determined?

But to do what?

The raven haired maiden was both curious and nervous about that look in Sakura's eye. What could her best friend possibly be determined to do in this seemingly hopeless situation? But yet again, maybe it was a stupid idea. Maybe Sakura's newfound idea was going to get herself hurt.

But all Tomoyo could do was sit in this dumb, little chair and wait for that final bell to ring.

She had requested that she call out sick at school and take care of Sakura, but the Card Mistress adamantly refused. In fact, it was the first time since Li-kun had left that she seemed stubborn. Tomoyo and Eriol couldn't go against her word.

In their classes, the two worried teens watched the minutes tick by slowly, wondering what on earth Sakura was planning...

...they didn't know that her plan was already in action.

-

"Are you sure, Sakura?"

The girl silently gave a grim nod as the toy guardian heaved a sigh in confusion.

"All right then. I'll give you your private time. I don't know what you could possibly be thinking about though. You've been thinking since yesterday," Kero grumbled as he floated out the window with one last look at the girl who had covered herself with her bed covers once again. He sighed again, floating a bit higher in the sky so that he wouldn't be seen in public. He knew exactly why his mistress wanted more "time for herself," as she put it. She wanted to think about that damn brat. Kero swore under his breath and promised himself that when that gaki was in his hands again, he was dead meat.

No, he was even deader than dead meat.

As the Card Mistress peeked from under her blanket, she got out of bed as soon as Kero was out of sight. Time for action. Sakura was done with moping and being depressed. She had to see him. She paused as she threw a suitcase from her closet.

Syaoran...

It felt like ages since she had last seen him even though it was only a mere two days. Sure, she was exaggerating, but something just didn't feel right without him there. To others, she might seem like she was infatuated with a usual teenage crush on some boy and was going too far. But no, this was no mere crush.

This was love. Yes, she was young but even teens have the right to feel love, right?

Besides, wasn't the whole reason why she and Syaoran were "_connected_" because they were soul mates? Meiling had said so herself...and she also had given up her love for Syaoran because of it. Sakura felt guilty that her new Chinese friend had to do that yet at the same time, she was happy with the thought that she was able to love Syaoran freely.

Meiling had said that...that Syaoran loved her back. Sakura had to know if it was true.

She had to work fast because her father would soon get home from doing errands and she wanted to leave without anyone knowing. Why is that? Well, first of all, she just knew that Kero and Touya would throw a fit if they knew she was going to go to Hong Kong. Then everyone else would be worried that she was going alone and would want to come. It wasn't that Sakura didn't appreciate everyone caring about her and she did think that she would be pretty lonely on the plane, but...

...she wanted to do this herself. This was the one thing that she needed to be completely independent for.

As she threw some various clothes in the bag, she realized that she _was_ being brash and quite hasty in her decision. After all, where was she going to get the money for the ticket if there _was_ any room left? How was she going to get to the airport? How was she going to find him when she got there?

Oh well. She'd get past all that somehow just to see him.

Just for him.

-

"Xiao-Lang-sama," said faithful Wei as he knocked on his master's door. He had a tray full of food in one hand. "Your lunch is ready. Would you like it?"

But the butler only received a muffled, "No thank you," from behind the door. He sighed deeply and placed the tray of food on the nearby table, noting that the breakfast tray was still there and untouched.

Syaoran hadn't eaten since he had gotten home yesterday. Wei was really starting to get worried. Something drastic had happened to his young master. And although most of the time, Syaoran was able to get through problems since he'd had a lot of them in the past, it didn't seem like he'd be able to get through this one. Wei had never seen Syaoran lock himself in his room for this long. No one had seen him since yesterday and the last person who did was Meiling. She didn't seem too happy either. Had they fought?

Everything simply puzzled him and Wei simply didn't know what to do anymore. He didn't have any way of helping or comforting the two young Lis...especially Xiao-Lang.

Wei shook his head slowly as he walked away. "I'm getting too old for this..."

A Chinese girl with fiery ruby eyes watched as he walked away. Meiling turned to the door which Wei had just been in front of a couple of seconds ago. Damn Syaoran. He's so stubborn. He's going to starve himself! Jeez.

Was he still angry about yesterday? She knew she shouldn't have gone that far but she couldn't help herself. She was just so angry. After all, Syaoran left the one place where he was happy. And it was impossible that Sakura didn't love him. After talking to her on the phone before she had confirmed that. Sakura did love Syaoran. There was just some big misunderstanding.

Meiling needed to talk to him. Both he and Sakura were miserable and she couldn't sit back and watch it unfold. She had to talk to him, try to make him see that Sakura _did_ love him.

She took a seat in a nearby chair. Now she just had to be patient until he came out of that damn room.

-

"Well, I hope Sakura comes back soon."

"So do I! Cheerleading practice hasn't been the same without her."

Tomoyo gave a faint smile at the loyal friends and was thankful that they hadn't asked exactly asked why Sakura had been absent for the past two school days. She usually wasn't out unless she had a fever or something along that line.

Eriol took a bite of his lunch and closely watched Tomoyo's expression. It may not seem recognizable to others, yet if you look closely, it was obvious that the girl hadn't gotten sleep the night before and had tried to cover up her bags with makeup. And even now, she looked tired and distressed. It definitely wasn't one that he wanted on her angelic face because it didn't fit her personality at all. Sighing, he secretly and discreetly placed a hand over hers which was lying on top of her lap and squeezed it gently.

Tomoyo glanced at him and gave another small smile, trying to reassure him that she was alright even though she wasn't.

Across the lunch table, oblivious to it all, Chiharu and the others were discussing the sudden departure of their new friend.

"You know, I really thought Li-kun was starting to like it here," Rika commented.

Naoko nodded. "I've noticed that too. It's like he's opened up more. I remember the first couple of days we knew him, he was as silent as a log and would never smile."

"Yeah, and he was pretty mean sometimes," Chiharu added while eating. She suddenly smiled when she remembered a memory of not too long ago. "Hey, you guys. Remember when we saw Sakura-chan and Li-kun running through town and we followed them to the Sakura blossom park?"

Naoko's eyes lit up behind her glasses. "Oh yeah! It was like a perfect love story! '_Destiny strikes two unknowing, young souls in a flurry of blossoms_.'"

As the three girls sighed and Yamazaki rolled his eyes, Naoko's romantic sentence caught Eriol and Tomoyo off guard. Destiny? Did they know about Sakura and Syaoran being connected? But how was that possible?

Yamazaki saw the surprised looks on their faces and sighed. "Don't mind them. They're just being girls. Remember when I read that book you kept reading over and over again, Eriol? About _soul mates_ and _destiny_ and all that? I told them about it and they got all gushy." Yamazaki stuck out his tongue in disgust.

Realization hit the sorcerer and both he and Tomoyo sighed in relief. "Ah, yes. I remember now."

"Hey!" Rika exclaimed suddenly. "I bet I know why Sakura-chan's been absent! Or at least it would be pretty romantic if this was the reason. Maybe she's upset that Li-kun left."

"If that's so, she must really love him," Chiharu said.

Tomoyo silently looked at her untouched lunch. Wow, it was as if their friends had gotten it completely without even knowing. Sakura _did_ love Li-kun a lot...

...they had no idea that her love for him was greater than they thought.

"I can tell you what's happening right this minute," Yamazaki added, going into one of his lying moods. "I bet Sakura-chan's going to scrounge up some money, pay some private owned boatman to sail her to Hong Kong, and she'll have to battle through storms and huge tidal waves in a tiny fishing boat. All just for Li-kun. It'll be so long since we've last seen her that everyone would think she's been lost at sea and then-"

His fiery girlfriend slapped the back of his head and sighed. "I know why Li-kun left. He was tired of hearing your darn stories!"

As the others laughed, one person didn't seem to be amused by the story. In fact, she was finally starting to figure out why Sakura was so full of determination that morning, why she had been so persistent on Tomoyo and Eriol going to school. For once, Yamazaki's story wasn't all that crazy.

Tomoyo uncharacteristically mumbled a slight profanity.

"Hey, Tomoyo-chan," Naoko said curiously as she spotted the silent and stricken girl. "You alright?"

The raven haired girl jumped from her seat and turned to Eriol suddenly, her voice sounding surprised and even slightly nervous.

"Eriol! She's going to Hong Kong!"

-

Syaoran lay on his back on his bed, not particularly doing anything except staring up at the ceiling. He hadn't moved from that spot ever since he had woken up from his sleeping. Actually, he hadn't really slept a wink the night before so he hadn't moved from that spot ever since he came home and collapsed on his bed intending to try to rest.

He had been thinking about everything that had happened, which was a lot to think about. And he knew that he was having an emotional breakdown. He didn't like it at all. He didn't like feeling all these emotions at once, or reliving all the memories at once. Maybe that was why he had been trained to the extreme when he was growing up. After all, training was a way to get away from all of it, to forget anything hurtful had happened to you. All you focused on was getting stronger and perfecting every single aspect about your technique. But Syaoran didn't even feel like training now, even though he knew it would probably take his mind off things.

Of course, a certain someone still continuously plagued him, ate away at his aching soul. Part of him wished he would forget all about the past couple of months. Because then, the pain he was feeling now wouldn't be so immensely strong. But then again, a bigger part of him argued that going to Japan was the greatest thing that ever happened to him. Not only had he realized that the guilt he felt about his father was unnecessary, he also realized that he actually _could_ be loved. He found out that his mother didn't blame him for his father's death and that he actually did have some friends who cared for him. He also found out the greatest lesson of all.

He found how to love...truly and unconditionally...

...But he also found that love, if you were him, was the most painful thing of all...more painful than guilt, more painful than responsibility, and even more painful than being unloved. Because if he hadn't fallen for Kinomoto Sakura, he wouldn't have cared at all if she loved him or not. He wouldn't be aching and pleading for her to finally notice him as more than a friend. He wouldn't be wishing that she were in his arms, loving him the same way he loved her.

But the plain fact was that he _did_ love her. He _did_ care if she loved him or not. He _did_ ache and plead that they would be more than friends. He _was_ wishing that she was his.

But she wasn't. Simply stated: _She didn't love her_.

Yes. Love was cruel. Very cruel indeed.

And even though he was clearly confused already, his "_dear_" cousin of his decides to throw in even more thoughts to jumble and baffle his mind even more. That argument with Meiling was still ever so clear in his mind. She had insisted that Sakura..._did_ love him. But that was preposterous. It was a load of bullshit. Meiling hadn't been there like he had. He had clearly watched her run off to Yukito, her love. So what Meiling said was impossible.

But why was it bothering him?

He knew why...

"_Think about it, Syaoran. Whenever Sakura had looked at you, talked about you, was around you...her eyes lit up. And when you smiled, she would return the biggest smile anyone had ever seen. You think that was only because she thought of you as a friend?"_

"_That's bullshit. Why the hell would you notice all of that?"_

"_B-Because...I used to do all of those things, Syaoran. Of course I'd notice something when someone else did the same."_

Her words rang through his mind, echoing and echoing until he thought he'd go crazy. It was simply impossible! Sakura loving him back was simply out of the picture!

But he knew that Meiling had an eerie point.

Thinking about the conversation, he suddenly felt guilty once again. His cousin, the girl who he had always cared for as a little sister, had loved him. She had loved him so much that once she found out that he had found another, she had forced herself _not_ to love him any longer. Meiling had even tried to push him and Sakura together. She wanted him to be happy yet it was a no-win situation for her whether Sakura loved him back or not. He just simply couldn't return the feelings to Meiling. Syaoran knew that she realized that now and yet was still trying to be her normal, peppy self.

He smiled a bit at his cousin's courage and strength.

The feeling of guilt reminded him about what happened at the cemetery with his father, and about what happened at the hospital with his mother. Hadn't he promised himself that feeling guilty was not going to help the situation? That whatever the situation was, it was already done and can't be changed or taken back?

Yes. Syaoran didn't have to feel guilty about not loving Meiling the way she loved him. He didn't have control over his feelings after all. Besides, Meiling was sure to find someone she deserved with that willful personality of hers.

Sighing, he finally got up from the bed and stretched. Syaoran had also remembered that he had promised he wouldn't run from his responsibilities anymore. Before, he had blamed himself that his father had died which gave him a reason to hate his own life, his responsibilities. He couldn't hide from what he was destined to do anymore. This is where life lead him, this is what he would continue to follow. Whether or not his father had died, or if Sakura actually _did_ love him back, this was his life now. He couldn't be thinking of what-could-have-been's or what-if's.

Besides, doing his duties as clan leader will help get his mind off everything.

He had prolonged his return as leader long enough. He had to face it sometime.

After showering and changing in his own private bathroom adjacent to the room with his bed, he took a deep breath, standing in front of the exit of his private room.

"Alright. I'm back."

He opened the door.

-

Sakura did a mental checklist. Luggage with clothes; check. Note to onii-chan and otou-san; check. Her savings; check. Message to Eriol and Tomoyo on their phones; check.

She felt ready for this, even though she really wasn't. First of all, her savings was definitely not enough for a ticket and even if it was, all the seats will most probably be taken. The next chance she'd have to actually acquire a seat is in a month or two if she's really lucky. After all, airplane tickets are mostly ordered months in advance. Second of all, she still had no idea where in Hong Kong she'd find him. And lastly, what about her trip ride home?

But she was so restless knowing that he wasn't here and soon the restlessness turned into recklessness. Sakura would find him even if she'd have to search through the huge city of Hong Kong twice over. Besides, she had the Cards. They'd help her out. They had always come through for her whenever she needed them.

Holding the bag of clothes, she looked out the window silently. Sakura would miss her hometown and she had no idea when she'd come back. She suddenly had a pang of homesickness just thinking about leaving her beloved home. But it still didn't stop her determined mind.

"I'm going to find you, Syaoran...I'm going to tell you how I feel..."

There was a very good reason why she was so reckless. She was in love. And she probably wouldn't love another man like this again. Li Syaoran had stolen her innocent heart. And knowing the stubborn Card Mistress, we all know that she'd go to the depths of the ocean and even climb the highest mountain for him.

She was in love. And nothing was going to get in her way. She's follow her heart wherever it would take her. Sakura wasn't going to sit around and mope anymore. If he wasn't coming back, then she'd go to him. It was as simple as that.

-

Meiling almost couldn't believe it when the door finally opened. She had been impatiently sitting in that seat for well over two hours afraid that if she left her spot, he'd suddenly come out. She had almost fallen asleep when she heard the noise of the doorknob turning. She thought that she'd blow her top off when he finally did come out but now that he did, her frustration had left her. Now it was pure determination. She'd get him to listen to her somehow.

As soon as Syaoran opened the door, he was greeted by a stubborn looking Meiling who had her hands on her hips. It had surprised him. He didn't think that she'd start talking to him until things had cooled off after that fight yesterday. She might have felt better, yet his anger wasn't totally out of his system yet. He knew she meant well but...he just couldn't help it. Call him a hypocrite for feeling guilty about their argument a few seconds ago, but his anger was still there.

"N-Nani? Meiling?"

She frowned, her eyes flashing a deadly, dark red. "Now I have something to say to you, and you're going to listen closely and carefully, okay?"

Meiling's sudden brashness caught him off guard, too. Syaoran couldn't even get a word in before she started blabbering away again.

"I don't know what happened between you and I'm not asking for you to tell me. But I could tell that you're heartbroken because you think Sakura doesn't love you back." The Chinese girl saw Syaoran open his mouth in reply but stopped him. "Nuh-uh. You're not going to speak until I'm finished! Now where was I? Oh yes. Even though you may think that, Syaoran, I have very good reason for you to believe that she _does_ love you. In fact, I had called last night and she confirmed it-"

The clan's leader's eyes widened. "YOU WHAT?"

"Oh yes, it's the truth. Now there you have it. Your proof. Not to mention the way she looks at you, the way she smiles at you, the way she talks to you, the way she-"

Syaoran was looking quietly at the floor. There she goes again. "Meiling," he said in a surprisingly quiet voice, still not looking up at her. "Please stop. There's no use. She doesn't love me. If she did than I wouldn't be here as miserable as I am. My heart wouldn't be aching so much. She's happy without me-"

Suddenly a sting came across his face. As he tried to register what happened, he just stood there dumbly. She had just...slapped him!

"Goddamn it, Syaoran!" Meiling yelled, her voice reverberating through the halls. "Stop thinking about yourself for once! Sure, you're hurt badly. Sure, you're heart broken. But if you just look deeper, it'll all stop! If you would just stop being stubborn, you'd realize that Sakura _does _love you!"

"Meiling-"

"Aren't you two '_bonded_'?" Meiling screamed. "That's the simple proof that you two are destined to be together! If you don't believe that then why don't you try thinking of _her_ for a change? _Her_ feelings! If you're so sure that she's so damn happy without you, why don't you use your '_emotional connection_?' You'll see then. She's damn miserable without you! I know it, she knows it, Eriol and Tomoyo know it...and if you'd stop being so selfish you'd know it, too!"

With those stinging words, she turned on her heel and angrily left him, her shoes clicking away. Syaoran still stood there, dumbfounded by the way she had acted and the words she had said. Quickly and silently, he did what she advised him to do. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard to forget all about his own emotions. Noting that his shield that prevented her to feel them was somehow still strongly blocking his misery, he focused solely on her. Her smile, her face, her heart, her inner soul. He still couldn't feel anything different when he started worrying that maybe he wasn't '_bonded_' to her anymore. He sincerely didn't want that to happen. It was his last way of feeling close to her and without their '_connection_' he would truly feel–

Suddenly, a burst of pain emerged from his chest. He reeled back, leaning weakly against his bedroom door, one hand clutching at his chest. His breath quickened as the sting quickly enveloped his whole body which caused him to start trembling greatly. His knees buckled under him and next thing he knew, he was kneeling on the ground, still trembling and still leaning against the door.

Sudden emotions pounded in his head like an enormous headache.

Unrelenting sorrow. Piercing heartbreak. Fierce determination. Incredible loneliness. The hunger of need and want.

Then there was something else. Something he had never felt from Sakura before. Yet it was so familiar...So familiar indeed. It felt like a burning desire...passion...unconditional worry, concern and care for someone...

Syaoran could only come for one explanation for the strong emotion.

Love.

Suddenly, all the emotions, plus his own to make it worse, was too much for him. His hold on the door slipped and he fell weakly, his body still trembling and throbbing. Then suddenly everything blacked out.

The last thing he remembered was that overwhelming emotion of love.

Unknown to him, the emotional shield had cracked just a bit.

-

Sakura, the luggage being pulled behind her, quickly headed down the stairs. Her father would return any minute now and she had to get out of here quickly. She quickly grabbed a few things she'd need for the trip like some snacks for the plane and a brochure on Hong Kong that otou-san had gotten when he went on business there for work. As she climbed back up the stairs, she felt a sudden tingle and stopped in surprise. Pressing her hand against her heart, she noticed that the tingle was slightly...painful. It didn't hurt much but was more like an annoying itch that you couldn't reach. Suddenly, an image of Syaoran came to mind. C-Could it be? Could he possibly be _letting_ her feel his emotions again?

Well, it certainly was a confidence booster.

Bounding up the steps and heading to her room, she was more determined than ever. Maybe her plan will work! Maybe by tomorrow she and Syaoran will finally be together!

Destiny sure was sweet sometimes.

Making up her mind to use the Fly Card from her bedroom window to get to the airport, she opened the door and suddenly everything came crashing down.

Two very concerned people were waiting for her patiently. One had been pacing back and forth and the other was anxiously sitting on the bed.

Sakura couldn't believe her eyes. This couldn't be happening when everything seemed to be going so well. "T-Tomoyo! Eriol! H-How-"

The one who had been pacing, Eriol, smiled slightly and gently. "You underestimate us, Sakura. We're you're friends. We know you more than we know ourselves sometimes."

The anxious one on the bed stood and headed towards Sakura silently with a blank look on her face.

Sakura knew what was coming next. Here came the scolding, the worry, the guilt she'd feel once Tomoyo started yelling at her. This was why she hadn't wanted them to know her plan. "Now Tomoyo-chan, I know you're probably going to yell at me and say how worried you and everyone else will be but I just want you to know that...I-I really love him. With all my heart." Sakura sighed and looked guiltily at the floor. "I was extremely desolate when I found out that he...left. I thought that it was mybecause newfound love for him was hopeless, otherwise why would he leave? But what Meiling said to me gave me hope. Sh-She...gave up her love for him for us to be...together. She had said that it was fate. I don't want her tremendous sacrifice to go to waste and I know I'm not helping anyone by just crying under the covers. I miss him...and I love him so much that if he...rejects me...sometimes I think it'll be all over for me. But I'll regret it if I don't tell him how I feel, right? Telling him and getting rejected is worse than not telling him and not knowing what would've happened." She looked up meekly at both of their faces. "I know you guys think it's probably stupid of me to be this careless and to follow his so blindly when I don't even know if everything will turn out all right. I'm not even sure if I'll be able to find him! But I...I just..." Feeling quite defeated and expecting a sharp reply to answer, she looked down at the ground again. Hopefully they'd understand. _Please_ let them understand.

Suddenly she found herself in Tomoyo's warm embrace. Startled, she did nothing but hug her best friend back.

"Oh, Sakura-chan! That was _beautiful_! I wish I could've recorded that!"

Sakura and Eriol felt themselves sweat drop in their friend's response. But Sakura was ecstatic with joy. "D-Does that mean..."

Tomoyo pulled away slowly, still holding her friend's hands, a smile on her face but a tear escaping her eye. "Of course we understand. Did you really think we were here to scold you? Please, Sakura! We're your friends! We don't want to hinder you!" Tomoyo's voice suddenly got very quiet and serious. "Of course we'll be worried. Heck, I'll be more than worried! What if things don't work out and you return to your depression? But we're willing to take the chance because we do _truly_ believe that you and Syaoran-kun are meant for each other. Besides, you two are miserable without each other. I know I'd be miserable if I was away from the person I love too."

Eriol gave a secret smile to the girl talking to Sakura. He felt the same way as she did. If ever Tomoyo was away from him, he wouldn't know what he'd do. So he knew the feeling.

Tomoyo continued, detesting the thought of being away from Eriol. "But anyway, Sakura-chan. Go get him. Bring him back home."

Sakura's face was alight with joy as she looked at her friends' encouraging expressions. She couldn't believe it. They were allowing her to go! Bouncing up and down like a little girl, she seemed like she was almost back to the old, bubbly Sakura. "Oh Tomoyo! Eriol! I can't thank you enough!"

"Not so fast!" Tomoyo interrupted and Sakura stopped. The amethyst eyed girl brought out an envelope from her pocket and handed it to Sakura.

"Hoee?" Curiously, Sakura opened the envelope and nearly cried out in happiness. It was impossible. Tomoyo and Eriol were the best friends ever! "Th-This is...!"

Tomoyo smiled her usual uplifting smile. "Yep. How could you get to Hong Kong without a ticket, eh? Eriol-kun and I both chipped in. And no, don't feel bad that we did it. It's our way of helping."

"I also called Meiling in Hong Kong. She knows the situation and was thrilled actually. She agreed to come and pick you up from the airport," Eriol added with a smile. "Good luck, Sakura."

The emerald eyes lit up once again as she stood there, sputtering stupidly. "Oh wow...this is...I mean..." She broke into a delightful grin. "I don't know how I'm gonna repay you!"

Eriol shrugged. "I just agree with what Tomoyo said. Bring him back." His eyes glinted behind those glasses. "I miss teasing that guy."

Sakura gave them both a big hug before standing before them one last time. "I will! Don't you worry, everything's going to turn out great!" Another childish grin appeared. "I'm sure of it!"

The couple smiled at her enthusiasm and couldn't help but notice that little "_Sakura motto_" that she had used from all those years ago when she had been Card capturing. It still hadn't left her. The way she somehow tried to pull through even in the most dire circumstances was still there. Although she had taken a day off from the cheerful Sakura to be depressed, she was back. And hopefully, she would stay like this. But Sakura was right. _Everything would turn out right. _They were sure of it.

Eriol and Tomoyo watched as Sakura called upon the Fly Card and the wings sprouted from her back. Usually, Eriol would be telling her that flying out in broad daylight was dangerous, but in this situation, he didn't.

Before Sakura leaped out of the window with her luggage and the new ticket, she momentarily looked back at the two standing side by side and smiled widely. "Oh yeah, and before I forget...congratulations!"

The two was confused. "For what, Sakura?" Tomoyo asked.

Sakura giggled. "Duh. On getting together! Don't think that you don't know!"

The couple was astounded as blushes appeared on both of their cheeks. "How'd you-"

"Did you forget? I'm your friend!" She stuck out her tongue playfully and the two watched her fly out of the house, her great white wings flapping gently.

Eriol chuckled as he turned to Tomoyo. "Guess we couldn't keep it to ourselves forever. She was bound to find out."

Tomoyo nodded, a delighted smile on her face. "I don't mind though. I'm happy being with you," she said quietly as Eriol's arms wrapped around her waist. "I hope Sakura-chan gets to be happy, too. She and Syaoran-kun deserve each other."

The azure eyed boy gave a little pout. "Since when have you been calling him 'Syaoran-kun,' eh? First name basis..."

"Ah, you dummy! Jealous about a little thing like that?" Tomoyo said with a laugh. "Well, honestly, it feels like I've known him forever, if that's possible. It _does_ feel empty without him here."

Eriol nodded in agreement. His kawaii, little descendant belonged here with them.

-

Amber eyes woke up with a start. His cousin and his butler were there looking down at him.

He realized the comfortable, soft bed underneath him. He was in his room. What had happened?

Suddenly, as if on cue, a headache starting pounding and he sat up in a flurry, groaning and clutching his head.

"Syaoran!"

"Xiao-Lang-sama," Wei said in worry as he pushed his master back on the bed to lie down. "Please, don't strain yourself." He momentarily looked at Meiling. "I'll go get a rag and water to cool down his head."

Meiling nodded and thanked him for his concern and loyalty. As he hurried away, she turned back to her cousin whose head was still pounding. She suddenly felt extremely horrible for saying those things to him. "Oh, Syaoran. I'm sorry. I should've have said that. I-I was just so-"

"No, Meiling," he replied feeling the pain subside a bit. "You...you were right."

The Chinese girl simply looked at him silently, examining his expression. She knew she was right. She just didn't know it would hurt him so much. Did he believe her now? Did he believe that Sakura returned his feelings?

Suddenly Syaoran let out an aggravated cry and held his head in his hands. "I-I can't believe that I...I let my feelings take over me...I focused more on myself instead of her! DAMMIT!" He pounded a fist against the night table next to his bed. Meiling jumped at the suddenness. "Ugh. I can't believe that I'm that...self-centered and selfish!"

"Syaoran..."

He closed his eyes, concentrating hard again on the image of the emerald eyed girl. He felt all of those feelings again. Except now, the fierce determination had grown into a nervous yet excited anxiousness. And the emotion of love?

It was still there all right. Even more vivid and stronger than before he had collapsed.

But he didn't get it. All this loneliness...her anxiousness...her love. Why was she feeling all of this? Why would be lonely when she was with Yukito? Unless...

No. It was impossible...right?

Suddenly the notion that Sakura could possibly return her love wasn't quite impractical any more.

Wait...what was he thinking?

Oh he was so confused. So very confused.

"M-Meiling...d-do you think you can...leave me alone for awhile?" he requested quietly.

The worried cousin was reluctant in leaving him alone. Last time she had done so, he had collapsed due to the extreme burst of emotion that he realized Sakura's was feeling. He had opened his mind to her after experiencing all that pain.

But she couldn't go against his wishes. Besides, he had a lot to think about.

Hopefully, the little surprise for him tomorrow would clear his mind a bit... Tomoyo and Eriol's plan was excellent!

Sakura would be here. And everything would turn out all right.

As Syaoran listened to the door shut, he closed his eyes again, in deep contemplation and bafflement.

_Sakura...all those feelings...why? Could...it be possible?_

Another crack in his shield. Another emotion for Sakura to ponder about.

-

Sakura found herself instantly woken up. Blinking her bleary eyes, she looked out the window of the airplane and saw all the billowing white clouds. Her ticket had been for first class. Eriol and Tomoyo must have had to pay a lot for the ticket. She promised to make it up to them somehow.

Suddenly she realized why exactly she had woken up. Another wave of emotion was filling her. It was only slightly stronger than the sliver of pain she had felt before and it was different from it.

It was...confusion...?

Syaoran was confused.

Both emotions seemed to connect her with him even more. She was close...so close to reaching him. If only he'd put down the shield. She didn't care if she'd get hurt.

She just wanted to feel fully connected with him again.

_I'm almost there, Syaoran...almost..._

**TO BE CONTINUED **


	19. Confrontations

**Tied By Fate  
By:** pnaixrose

**Disclaimer:** I don't own CCS or its characters. Please don't sue.

* * *

**Chapter 19:** Confrontations

A timid maid softly knocked on the boss's door, carrying a tray of breakfast. Li Syaoran had been in his office ever since four in the morning and now it was nearly nine o'clock! He must've had so much to do since he had been out for so long, the maid thought.

Waiting patiently for about a minute, she realized that her knock had been left unanswered. She knocked again, loud enough to hear. This time, she received an answer, but not one she expected...or particularly wanted.

"What do you want!" said a curt reply. The maid nearly jumped in surprise.

"I...I...uh...just have your breakfast, sir," she said, almost inaudible from inside. "Your sisters sent me."

At once she heard his rude reply. "I'm not hungry! I'm kinda busy here, you know!"

"Y-Y-Yes, sir!" she squeaked before scurrying off with the uneaten tray in her hands. That man was scary...cute but scary.

Inside, Syaoran sighed as he wrote his signature on a stack of papers with his right hand and typed continuously on the computer's keyboard with his left hand. Other than that, the fax machine was going berserk. He had had to tell his secretary to hold off any phone calls that he received and just take messages. If he had to hear those annoying rings while doing all these things at once, he'd really go crazy.

Damn business. Damn clan. So much to do and so little time to do it. His sisters had done an okay job while he had been away, but there were still things that they weren't authorized to do. All in all, they left all the big, important stuff for their little brother to handle. What nice sisters.

It was so hard to concentrate on so many things at once.

And no...he wasn't exactly talking about the signing papers, the typing on the computer, or receiving things from the fax machine...

So many things to concentrate on...in his head.

So what if right now all he though about was only about one girl? Sakura wasn't any other kind of girl. Taking time to think about her was worth it. But it was different when he had to think about her emotions...the ones that still haunted him even now. She was anxious, lonely, determined, and excited all at the same time, for heaven's sake! Why so many different emotions? And most important of all...that feeling of love. Even before when he knew she liked Yukito, that feeling was no where as strong as the one she was emitting now. He knew that feeling of love all too well...

Okay, maybe she was deeply in love with Yukito now and she just noticed just how much she cared for him. Maybe that was it. It made Syaoran's heart bleed just thinking about it but maybe it truly was the answer. But then, that still wouldn't explain the other feelings. Especially the loneliness and the nervousness. If she was so happily in love with that damn Yuktio, then why would she be nervous and lonely at the same time?

Kinomoto Sakura was going to be the death of him just by plaguing his mind all the time. And the sad thing was...he didn't mind. Syaoran wouldn't mind thinking of Sakura until the moment he died. Damn...even if he did die, he'd still be thinking about her wherever death leads him to next. But why did she have to confuse him so much? The confusion was even making him go rather angry and frustrated, added to the work he was doing. A perfect example of this was his reaction to a simple maid who was simply trying to give him some breakfast.

But oh, Sakura. How he missed that girl. He would do anything just to see her right now–

Abruptly, he stopped typing and writing all at the same time and stared down at the name he had just written on the line in a very important business letter.

_Li_ _Sakura_.

Last time he checked, his name was _Syaoran_, right?

Okay, so maybe doing all this office shit and thinking about her at the same time wasn't such a good idea. But he had to admit...the name sounded good. It sounded perfect. Li Sakura... Li Syaoran. It fit.

Jeez! Was he crazy? He was only seventeen and already he was thinking of marrying a girl he had met only a few months ago?

He sighed, pulling out his hair in frustration as he slumped in his leather chair, pausing all his tiring work. He couldn't keep working like this for long. Sure, he had expected this much to accumulate while he was gone and sure he had said he would take his responsibility instead of running away from them now. But...

...thinking about her just seemed to stop all else.

And now he couldn't get that name out of his head...

... Li Sakura...

-

A lost Card Mistress found herself stuck in the middle of a crowd which spoke an incoherent language. She didn't know what else to do except get swept away from the jumbled people, hoping that Meiling, her ride, would catch her somehow. She really wished she had at least learned from basic Chinese before she came. It was frustrating when you couldn't understand a thing anyone was saying. And now she had to get bruised and bumped along until she finally found a way to get out of this sea of bodies.

She grinned despite the situation. _Syaoran...you're lucky I love you so much! I wouldn't be in this mess if I didn't!_

And she truthfully did love him to the extent of her being. She had figured that out long before but now that she was on the same soil as he was, she simply didn't think she could hold in her love any longer.

But she wasn't getting anywhere in this mess.

Suddenly, as soon as the thought came to her, an arm grabbed her and pulled her from the crowd. She found herself face to face with a grinning Li Meiling.

"Meiling-chan!" she yelled in excitement as she threw her arms around the other girl. "Thank goodness, someone that understands what I say!"

The Chinese girl laughed and hugged Sakura back. "Yeah, yeah. Well come on...you're embarrassing us!"

Sakura laughed along and agreed to get going. While Meiling lead Sakura to the car where Wei was waiting, she couldn't help but recognize Sakura's giddy, happy manner as she chattered away, each of her steps light and carefree. Meiling smiled a little bit as she responded to Sakura's questions and statements.

Sakura...she was excited to see him. She was excited to finally see Syaoran again to tell her how much she loved him. Wasn't it only two days ago that Sakura had been moping and refused any conversation? Wasn't it two days ago when Meiling had had to pour out her feelings about the whole matter on the phone to try to make Sakura budge?

And Sakura did budge. Meiling was eternally grateful for that...for both Syaoran's and Sakura's sakes.

_Wow...only a few days away and they were already so miserable without each other. They truly are tied by fate._

-

Sakura sat nervously in the leather limousine seat, wringing her hands and constantly looking at her watch.

Excitement...anxiousness...fear.

She was going to see him soon.

As she sat amidst the comfortable silence between her and Meiling, she looked out the window, watching the city of Hong Kong pass by her in a flash. Cars, streets, buildings, people walking hurriedly from one place to another...it was way different than the small town of Tomoeda. But each stop sign, each traffic light, each little block brought her closer to him. She could feel it.

The shield on his emotions was cracking quickly, as if each little inch the limousine took broke off a piece of it. It was odd...after all, before he left Japan he still had that shield up and even if she was near him, practically touching shoulders with him, the shield simply wouldn't falter. Why was it breaking now?

No matter...she was going to see him...no matter what.

Her curious emerald eyes caught sight of trees down in the distance behind some tall skyscrapers. It surprised her, for she had never thought there would be any kind of foliage, much less a park in this industrialized city of Hong Kong.

For some strange reason she was drawn to it. It called to her, telling her to come. It looked strangely familiar to her even though she was sure she had never been in this city before. She didn't even have a good view of the park. All she could fathom about the park was that it seemed rather large. Other than that, it didn't seem special in any other way.

Did every Japanese person who came through Hong Kong feel drawn to that park?

Wait a minute...that aura...that feeling...coming from there?

"Hey, Meiling-chan," she said as the park moved out of her view, "are you sure Syaoran's at home?"

Sakura looked back to the place where the park disappeared, unable to get the strange feeling off her chest.

Her companion giggled and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Sakura, he's there."

-

"What do you mean he's not here!"

The secretary bowed her head in fear as she trembled under the young, ill-tempered Li. It was bad luck that she had to work with these easily angered kids all day. First her boss, now his cousin. "I-I'm sorry, he suddenly left and didn't tell anyone where he was going."

Meiling threw her hands up in the air in frustration, letting out a string of curses in Chinese. "He told me he was going to lock himself in his office all day and work! This is important! Call his cell phone!"

The ignored Japanese girl behind Meiling watched the scene in confusion, uncomprehending the strange language. Obviously Meiling was upset about something. But what troubled Sakura even more was that Syaoran's aura didn't seem to be in the building at all. She cleared her throat a bit and Meiling turned to look at her. The Chinese girl gave her a look of pure annoyance. Sakura blinked in bafflement, thinking the look was directed to her.

"Meiling-chan? Did I do something wrong?"

She quickly shook her head and started pacing in front of the secretary desk. "No, no, no," she said, reverting back to Japanese, "Syaoran's not here. He seemed to have slipped out." Meiling sighed. "I'm so sorry, Sakura. We'll find him though. Don't worry about that." She paused, looking at the upset face of her friend's. She had been so close to getting them back together again. So damn close! At an attempt to cheer the girl up, she patted her back and grinned. "Don't worry... Hong Kong _isn't_ that big. Besides, he's bound to come back soon."

Sakura nodded. So it was just as she had feared. Syaoran wasn't here. Yet, she could feel his aura from a distance, enticing her to follow. "Meiling-chan, call off the search."

The girl's ruby eyes blinked in deep shock. "NANI! No way! Are you crazy, Sakura? Have you given up? You just got here and I won't have you going back just because we-"

"No, no," Sakura insisted. She added a cheerful smile. "Call off the search because...I know where he is."

-

Working and thinking about Sakura wasn't going to amount to anything so he decided to try to keep his mind off things. He decided to take a little walk to calm his nerves.

So here he was, walking through a seemingly peaceful park. It seemed like the perfect place to sort out his thoughts. The only thing was that...it wasn't. Why he came here...he'd never figure out. But he guessed it was time to return here again. It had been his favorite place to go to when he was a kid and had always begged someone to take him there all the time. There was just something about the place, something about how the sunlight gently caressed your face from above and the birds constantly singing. But he hadn't been here for a long time.

He had already faced his father's grave so...

...this was the only place he had been avoiding.

Yes. It was the park where his father had been shot.

He had thought that it was no longer that painful to think of his death anymore. He had come to terms with it, had finally told himself that there was nothing he could have done about it.

But coming here...reliving the steps he had taken those years ago...

...they pained him. And he suffered from it again even though he was sure he wasn't blaming himself anymore.

No...it wasn't that. It wasn't guilt. He no longer felt blamed for his father's death. He no longer hated his father for leaving the clan and the business in his hands when he was only ten.

He was simply sad that he couldn't be with him anymore. His father was a great person, and will always be.

Now that he thought about it...Syaoran thought that it almost seemed as if he didn't care that a human being, his father, died. It seemed as if all he had cared about was the responsibility on _his_ shoulders...that everyone blamed _him_ for the death of a great person. He hadn't cared that his father...his own _father_...died.

The teen stopped in his tracks, hating himself. Selfish...that one of the many words to describe himself. A spoiled, rotten, selfish asshole.

His eyes scanned ahead, taking in the very familiar park path and a memory took over him.

A young boy and his father walking down the streets holding hands, the boy bounding in mirth. It seemed so simple...so innocent...so ordinary. Why did it have to end up the way it did? His father was no longer here with him, no longer there to guide him, to smile encouragingly at his kids. He didn't get a chance to see his kids grow older and more mature. He didn't get the chance to grow old with his loving wife, to see his four young daughters grow up and get married...and he didn't have the chance to see Syaoran fall in love for the first time.

A tear fell. Followed by another. Then another. Then yet another.

Why the hell was he crying? Maybe it had to do with the selfishness. He hated himself because of it. First, it had been ignoring Sakura's emotions, thinking only about himself. Then there was the fact that it almost didn't seem like he cared that his father died...that he only cared about the pressure and blame on himself.

No...it was because his father was dead. He truly realized that now. Even though he _had _been gone for years already...it was the first time that it really hit him.

His father was gone.

-

The wind pushed against her, almost as if trying to prevent her from nearing the park. But Sakura ignored it. All she knew was that she _had_ to get to that park...no matter what happened. The Fly Card's wings were attached to her back as she soared way above the city buildings, spotting the thick trees in the distance. She didn't even care if anyone saw her anymore. She had a feeling that there was a problem.

She was nearing the park, hovering almost over it now. It was then that she felt it. The wave of sadness.

It struck like an unexpected tornado but it didn't pass on by. Her body felt as if it was drowning, trying to escape with no success. It was so intense that her flight was suddenly cut short and she fell downward clumsily, screaming and desperately trying to catch air again. But her body refused and her head was pounding so hard that she couldn't even see straight anymore. The Fly Card's wings had disappeared from her back due to her lack of concentration. Sakura was sure that she was going to fall to her death against the hard cement, but instead, stinging branches and leaves broke her fall and she landed on a grassy, leafy area.

-

A high-pitched scream. A collision with the trees and leaves.

What the hell was going on?

Then he felt it...the aura. Breaking into an anxious run, he followed the familiar pinkness, almost disbelievingly.

It couldn't be her...could it?

He strayed from the park's path and into the dense trees, trying to find her among them. He didn't notice the branches as they whipped against his face, of the bushes that seemed to claw at his body. Sakura was here.

Up ahead, he heard a groan of pain and immediately, he found a body lying in a pile of leaves and branches. Syaoran knew exactly who it was. Without thinking, he rushed to her side and helped her sit up. She was trembling in deep pain, her eyes closed, her body bruised and scratched.

Wait..._He_ was doing this to her. He was doing this with his depressing thoughts about his father dying.

Damn...again he hurt her. Again!

He held her close protectively as she gripped onto his shirt, still trembling hard. But no matter what he did, he couldn't console her. He couldn't stop the pain. All because of his stupid thoughts. But he couldn't help it. He couldn't help feeling miserable.

First the revelation of his selfishness, the sadness of his father's death, and now with the thought that he was hurting the one person he truly loved.

Everything caught up with him. Every emotion, every thought, just everything. He couldn't take it. And little did he know that the shield he had obstructed around his emotions couldn't take it either.

It collapsed. And Sakura was the one who had to feel all the different, overwhelming feelings.

She let out a scream into Syaoran's shirt at the sudden burst of emotions. Syaoran realized what was happening and cursed at himself. His shield was broken. His emotions were pouring out and Sakura was the one who had to deal with it.

He held the girl closer to himself. He didn't know what the hell to do.

"S-Sakura...Sakura!" his frantic voice called. "Oh god...I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry..." He wanted to calm her down. He didn't want to hurt her anymore. Oh god...what the hell should he do?

Then in a desperate attempt, he did the thing which came to mind first.

He swooped down and brought his lips to her trembling ones.

The instant he did, her body seemed to relax. But he didn't appear to notice. All he knew was that here he was kissing her with all the love and passion he had been keeping inside all this time.

He deepened it, loving the feel of her luscious lips against his own, getting hungrier and hungrier for more. He felt her kissing him back and suddenly his mind went blank. The thought of stopping this completely vanished from his mind. His rough hands caressed her back and he felt hers running wildly through his hair. He felt completely calm except from the heat he was getting from kissing her. Pure elation. That's what it felt like.

When Sakura suddenly felt his lips pressing against hers, everything slowly just faded away from her mind. The pain, the emotions, her common sense...everything. It felt like heaven to be kissing him, to be so close to him again. She felt whole. This was what she wanted.

Suddenly, she realized what was happening and reluctantly pulled away, dizzy and feeling faint. Sakura looked at him and saw the shocked, pale expression on his face. He just realized what had just happened, too.

As the lightheadedness faded, he was brought back to reality with a bang of awareness and he felt the blood drain from his face. Syaoran's eyes wandered to her flushed face, her swollen lips. He had just kissed her. He had just forced himself on her. And he hadn't been able to stop. Who knows what he would've done to her if she didn't pull away.

He let out of a string of curses in Chinese. "I-I'm sorry...I shouldn't have...You were...I..."

Sakura let out a tiny smile at his apology and as she drew closer to him, his body tensed. Syaoran hadn't changed. Except now, she could freely sense the different emotions. He was no longer holding back.

And among the various feelings, there was that definitely emotion of love. There were no excuses. He loved her.

Oh the joy she was feeling! He loved her! He truly loved her!

Sakura brought her face to level with his, bringing it close so that they were almost touching. "But you helped me. I should be thanking you, Syaoran..." she said softly.

Ah, the sound of his name from her lips. He felt woozy again from the tingling feeling of being so close to her. "N-No...I caused it." He felt disgusted with himself again and turned away from her. "You shouldn't be here, Sakura. I only hurt you. You'd be happier in Japan with your family, Daidouji, Hiiragazawa and..." He paused for a second as he remembered the guy Sakura had first liked. But Syaoran felt confused. Wasn't it that she was pouring her love out for him while they were kissing just a second ago? Wasn't it that she had felt alone and sad without him? "And Tsukishiro..." he finished uneasily.

Sakura instantly felt the pain of rejection from him and shook her head. He didn't understand. He thought she loved Yukito. She grabbed his hands in her own and forced him to look straight at her.

Amber caught emerald once again after a long time. It calmed them both.

"Syaoran, it's true that I thought I had feelings for Yukito." She saw him visibly wince and felt the slight pain strengthen. "Wait! Listen to me," she said before he could look away again. "I _thought_ I did. But I realized that I truly didn't. That day when I was with him...all I could think about was you!"

Syaoran looked at her questionably. So it was true then? So she loved him back?

Sakura saw this look and smiled at his perplexed amber eyes. "Yes, Syaoran," she said with a slight giggle. "I love y-"

She was cut off as he suddenly pushed his lips against hers once again for a quick yet passion-filled kiss. Sakura felt the clear joy from him and couldn't help but feel the same.

He pulled away slightly, their faces still touching, their lips only a centimeter apart. "I love you, Sakura," he breathed. "I love you and I don't want to be away from you anymore. Dear god..." He said as he breathed in her familiar scent of cherry blossoms. "You don't know how much I missed you."

Sakura laughed, her heart brimming with happiness. "Actually," she said with a bright smile, "I heard you calling...I heard you say you missed me. And I came running."

She saw his lips turn upwards in one of his pure, rare, handsome smiles and felt her breath taken away.

He brought a hand up to her smooth cheek, caressing it lightly as he looked into her deep emerald pools. "I...I'm glad you did." She loved him. This was what he had been wanting for weeks. This was how he wanted to caress her softly, how he wanted to show his love.

This was how it was supposed to be.

"Syaoran, why did you run away?"

He looked at her questioning face and felt a bit guilty for leaving her. "I...I thought you loved..." his voice broke away before he could finish.

Sakura only smiled understandingly, holding his hands in hers. "It's okay."

"But..." he started, looking honestly at her. "I'm kind of glad I came back to Hong Kong. Don't get me wrong...I was completely miserable without you. But I got a lot sorted out here with my...family and situation."

She looked at him proudly, her smile radiating on her face. "I'm glad." She truly was. In fact, she could feel how light the load on his shoulders was now, as if all his problems seemed to be solved.

It was then that they felt tiny drops of water fall on their faces.

"Come on," Syaoran said, looking at the sky that was blocked by tons of leaves, "We better get out of here before the rain gets stronger."

Ignoring the bruises she had received from her fall from the sky, she lifted her aching body with the help of Syaoran, leaning her body against his. When he saw how painful it would be for her to walk, he gave an encouraging smile and leaned forward a bit, bending his knees at the same time.

"Get on my back," he said gently. "I don't want you to trip and fall."

Giving him an apologetic look, she climbed onto his warm back, slightly damp from the rain. It was starting to pour down on them harder, and she was glad that the trees blocked most of the drops from coming in contact with them. Once she was set on his back, she placed her face near his ear as she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck. "Are you sure, Syaoran? I don't want to be a burden."

Her hot breath on his ear made his skin tingle as he nodded at her question. "I don't mind. Don't worry." After a second of readying himself, he said, "Okay, let's go," and set off on his way to find the park path again.

Touched by his sudden sweetness, Sakura gave a smile and nestled herself into a comfortable position on his back. Glancing at his face from her angle, she couldn't help but feel so safe at the moment.

She had found him. She had told him.

And now they had confessed.

It was the happiest day of her life. Suddenly all the doubt and fear of rejection had gone away in just a matter of those seconds where he had kissed her.

She closed her eyes, reminiscing about it. Ah...that kiss. It was so heavenly. Sakura could tell that Syaoran had wanted to do that for a while now, seeing that it had been rather forceful in the beginning. But it had immediately turned into a gentle, passionate one and Sakura had felt herself returning it.

It was amazing as she thought about it now. That simple kiss, the way he held her...it had calmed her nerves and her painful body without hesitation.

To be in love and to be loved back was a very remarkable feeling.

Underneath her, Syaoran had stopped his walk and she wondered if he had found the path yet. Then, she suddenly felt his tenseness, not only in his emotions, but also in his body. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked ahead, trying to see what the problem was.

They had indeed escaped the trees and had now found the path again. But this place seemed familiar and she felt as if she had been here before.

Then it came to her.

The position of the trees. The thickness of the bushes along the sides. The way the path slightly curved to the left.

Sakura's voice caught in her throat, her emerald eyes widening. "S-Syaoran..." she choked out.

Syaoran had heard her whisper and he nodded his head ever so slightly, not taking his eyes away from the path.

In front of him was the exact spot where his father had died.

Rain pelted on them, the wind blew into his face, but suddenly he had grown numb. The only thing that kept him sane right now was knowing that Sakura was right there, resting on his back. Her touch seemed to calm him, preventing him from feeling anything.

He felt her worry seeping into him and hoped he wasn't causing her pain from his own emotions right now. He wasn't even sure _what_ he was feeling right now. He had thought that maybe he would feel a deep sadness, seeing that he had had his little revelation on his selfishness minutes before he found Sakura. But no. He just felt absolutely numb.

It just felt so awkward as he stood there in the rain, carrying a hurt Sakura on his back.

Sakura swallowed, getting rid of her dry throat. Her arms around Syaoran's neck tightened a bit as she drew closer to his face. With her cheek, she rubbed against his, trying to comfort him. She knew how uncomfortable he was feeling, and she knew that he wasn't trying to get away from the area because his legs were probably frozen in place. If only there was something she could do, something she could say. But as she thought, the rain pelting against her back and face, she could think of nothing that would seem to affect him.

Poor Syaoran...

"I-It's okay," she heard his voice croak. "Y-You don't have to feel sorry for me."

"Syaoran..." She gave a sigh as she got down from his back. Syaoran allowed her to, making sure she didn't hurt herself in the process. Sakura looked up at him and saw the emotionless expression on his face. But she understood how he felt.

No. She didn't want to see him like this anymore.

She hugged him tightly, burying her head into his shoulder. "Syaoran..."

Immediately, she felt his arms wrapping around her, too as he slightly trembled. "I...He..."

"You just miss him, neh?" she said, completing his sentence.

She felt him nod and only hugged him closer, both their clothes now soaked with rain.

"It's okay," he heard her say in the softest most comforting tone ever. "He misses you, too," she continued. He saw her look up at him once again, her eyes comforting and peaceful. "But you know...he never left you. Remember what we talked about before? As long as it's from the heart, the person who you want to talk to will hear you..."

Yes, he remembered that conversation with her. And she was right. His father didn't leave. As long as there were memories of him, he's just as alive as any living human being. Just because he was no longer physically present, didn't mean that his spirit had gone too. Syaoran could still talk to his father whenever he wanted.

Syaoran felt his heart lighten and suddenly the world felt bright even though it was pouring. He hugged the small teen in his arms even more, burying his head in her hair.

"Thanks..." he whispered into her honey brown hair. "Thank you for everything..."

She had changed him to be a better person. She had made him smile and laugh. She had lightened his stress. She had even made it feel as if his father were standing next to him this very second.

Sakura brightened every aspect of his world.

-

**_One month later..._ **

It had been weeks since they had last heard from Sakura. Though she had called when she had first arrived, saying that she had found Syaoran, she didn't give any other clue to what might have happened between them. So whether she and Syaoran was a couple, no one in Japan knew. Since then, the Card Mistress hadn't called home and though the Kinomoto family and her friends tried to call her, they could never seem to get in touch. Calling her cell phone was no use, most probably because she was in another country, and calling the Li house didn't seem to work either. The only people who seemed to pick up were secretaries and they all told them the same thing: They're not available.

The breaking news on the television about Syaoran had died in about a few days. Seemingly, as soon as he returned, his business was no longer in peril. Furthermore, his mother had gotten out of the hospital sooner than they had all expected. She had seemed to perk right up when her only son returned home.

But any day now, they were hoping that Sakura would return, hopefully with Syaoran. Her father and brother were especially anxious. When Eriol and Tomoyo told the father who was expecting to see his cheerful daughter when he arrived home from work, he had paled terribly. Yet, being as trusting and understanding as he was, he didn't protest. He knew how much Sakura had loved Syaoran. It had been apparent by her gloomy actions when he had left to go back to Hong Kong.

Even though Touya and Yukito had left for their student exchange program for London, Fujitaka had called them right away to let them know what happened. He had had to witness a lot of yelling from the other side of the phone call and he and Yukito had tried to calmly convince him not to jump on a plane that very second and find her.

As for Kero, he was on the verge of exploding into a pile of guardian guts. He had been found punching his arms against a poorly drawn Syaoran he had pinned up on the wall. Yukito had said that Yue felt uneasily disturbed to not know how his mistress was doing and threatened to transform to fly over to Hong Kong. And finally, Spinel Sun and Ruby Moon were equally as worried. However they were also very amused by the whole ordeal. Suppi was predicting what exactly had happened and had finally concluded that the Card Mistress and the Li leader had eloped and were now living in a quaint little Chinese town. When Eriol had found out his guardian's opinion, he suspected that Spinel had been reading Nakuru's romance novels a bit too much and had promised himself never to mention that story to the worried Kinomoto men. As for Nakuru...well...as you could already expect, she was endlessly proclaiming how romantic and sweet the life of a teenager was.

All in all, the last few weeks have been tedious and had an atmosphere full of uneasiness.

But today, it was a seemingly quiet Saturday. A day for rest and relaxation from work and school. Fujitaka was asleep on the couch, the sunlight streaming in from the open window with the open newspaper on his lap. Kero had also fallen asleep and was currently resting on Sakura's father's chest which heaved with each breath. The considerate guardian had grown attached to the man over the weeks seeing that both Sakura and Touya were gone. He had thought that Fujitaka must've felt alone and worried for both of his children since they were in different countries. Besides, Fujitaka had barely worked overtime this month, frightful that his daughter would return one night and he would not even know. Anyway, Kero had never really spent time with the man before, except of course when he cooked meals. But now the two felt close, for they both felt alone and worried.

Unknowing to them, the front door creaked open and two voices would have been heard in the hallway. The honey brown haired girl led a boy her age to the living room where she had noticed a large snore was erupting from.

"Better not wake them," Syaoran whispered. His hand lovingly enclosed hers.

She nodded in agreement. It was a shame. She had wanted to see them first out of all people and to let them know she was okay. Nevertheless, she smiled as she saw how close the two had gotten. Now the only thing she had to do to make her family really complete was make Kero and Touya get along. But she highly doubted that would happen.

Sakura knelt in front of the couch and gently patted Kero's furry head. Then her hand went to her father's face. Carefully, she removed his glasses and placed them on the nearby coffee table. "Otou-san, Kero-chan," she whispered with a smile as bright as the afternoon sun, "I'm home." After a pause, she looked to the boy watching from behind her and her eyes glittered as he returned the smile. "_We're_ home."

-

Tomoyo stretched her tired arms and lay down on top of the grass. Next to her sat Eriol. He gave a slight, unnoticeable smirked and suddenly swooped down, tickling her sides with fervor. Laughing out loud, she bolted right up again, coiling, trying to get those hands away from her sides. "E-E-Eriol!" she cried between fits of laughter. "Stop! A-Anything but the t-t-t-tickling!"

His eyes glinting slyly, he gave yet another impish grin. "As you wish." His hands left her sides and had suddenly wrapped themselves around her waist as he pulled himself towards her. Planting a long, passionate kiss on her lips, the moment of innocent flirting had been replaced. It took quite a while before they parted, panting for air.

Eriol shook himself out of the daze and adjusted his glasses straight on his nose again, trying to fix his disheveled hair. "Well...I think we're getting pretty good at that."

Tomoyo laughed heartily. "I think so, too."

Their voices and slight laughs subsided for a quiet moment as they sat on the comfy grass, shaded by the trees. They were in Sakura's favorite park with the cherry blossom trees. Unfortunately, the beautiful pink blossoms were gone and were replaced by ordinary looking leaves. Yet the place still had that sense of romance in it, especially since they were alone...something they both enjoyed very much.

"Eriol..." Tomoyo whispered, glancing at him. "I feel like something's going to happen today..."

He nodded in agreement. "I've had that feeling, too. Yet nothing seems out of the ordinary."

"Except Sakura and Li-kun still aren't home..."

Eriol frowned at the sadness of her voice and slung an arm around her, giving her comfort. "Don't give up, Tomoyo," he persisted. "It's not like Sakura would just stay there without telling us. Maybe they're coming home today."

She gave him a smile, knowing that he was trying to make her feel better. "That's what you've been saying ever since she left."

He chuckled at her response. "So I have." He had only wanted to cheer up his Tomoyo. Maybe he was doing it for himself too. He greatly missed the energetic Sakura and the sarcastic Syaoran. Eriol especially missed teasing the little wolf.

"You think they're together, Eriol? Can't you feel their auras and see if they're together?" the girl asked hopefully.

"Well," he started, "They're auras certainly feel different. I think Syaoran had put down that shield around his emotions which is a good thing. But I don't know if they're together."

Tomoyo sighed and placed her head comfortingly against his shoulder. "I hope they are. I hope everything was sorted out." She looked up at him, her amethyst eyes gleaming. "That way they'd experience the purity of love."

Eriol chuckled, drawing closer to her. "Well, well, well...since when have you become a romance poet?"

It was Tomoyo's turn to wear an impish smirk. Her face grew closer to his and he felt his body heat up as usual. Gently pulling his glasses from the bridge of his nose, she answered, "Since I was able to do this."

Their lips closed on the other's once again. However, this one was much more passionate, held much more meaning. Their tongues wrestling inside their mouths, they couldn't help but think how each kiss seemed so different. Each one was as special as the next one.

Nothing seemed comprehensible. It was as if they were in a wonderful void, free of worries and interruptions.

However that soon changed. Someone cleared their throat from behind them and the two lovebirds scrambled apart, standing up clumsily. They had never kissed that passionately in the presence of other people. It was supposed to be an intimate, special thing between them. Besides, it felt embarrassing to be caught making out like that.

"E-Excuse us," Tomoyo said with an evident blush on her face. She smoothed her hair and clothes as Eriol did the same. "I'm sorry...I'm afraid that-"

Her eyes widened as her voice caught in her throat. A familiar teenage boy and girl stood before her, each smiling immaculately.

"Tomoyo, you little devil!" Sakura exclaimed with a wink.

The other girl shrieked in delight as she ran and hugged the heck out of her best friend. Meanwhile, Eriol had picked up his glasses which had been put aside while they were kissing. Putting them on, the fuzzy figures cleared and he saw Sakura and Syaoran. Only now, Tomoyo was smothering the poor girl with her killer hug.

Eriol grinned at the happy sight and walked over to them, waiting until the Kodak moment between the two girls stopped.

Sakura and Tomoyo pulled away and both smiled brightly. "Tomoyo-chan! I've missed you so much! You can't even imagine how much!" Her eyes caught sight of the smiling teen standing behind Tomoyo and Sakura's eyes brightened. It was so wonderful how her two close friends loved each other so. "Eriol-kun!" she yelled in mock anger as she put her hands on her hips. "You better not have hurt her while I was away!"

Tomoyo grinned. "Oh no...believe me. He hasn't."

The guy laughed in response as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly with a blush on his cheeks.

Sakura's smile widened as she extended her arms. "Well, where's my hug you big doof?"

He smiled and hugged the girl, surprised at how much happier she seemed now. It must've the happiest he had ever seen her.

So things must have gone well judging that Syaoran was awkwardly standing behind the Card Mistress, unsure of how to handle the cheery situation except with a slight smile on his face.

Tomoyo squealed upon seeing him and jumped on him, hugging him to his death.

"N-Nice to see you, too, Daidouji-san," he said between breaths as he laughed.

She shook her head as she pulled away. "No Daidouji-san. It's Tomoyo to you...Syaoran-kun."

The Chinese boy smiled at the first name basis. She was the second girl who wasn't family who had ever called him by his first name, Sakura being the first girl. But he didn't even think about it. He barely noticed it, in fact. "Hai...Tomoyo-san."

Suddenly, stars gleamed in her amethyst eyes as she whipped a camera out in a split second. It focused it on Syaoran's face which now held a bemused look. "WAI! You're smiling so freely, Syaoran-kun!" she shrieked. The camera zoomed out to view both Syaoran and Sakura looking at each other in bewilderment. "You two! I'm going to plan your wedding, you hear? Ah, it'll be wonderful! I'll be Sakura's maid of honor, Eriol can be Syaoran's best man, the guys will wear tuxedos, Sakura will be wearing the most beautiful wedding dress ever created...hand made by yours truly of course and-"

Eriol sweat dropped and placed a hand on Tomoyo's shoulder so she'd stop rambling. "There'll be plenty of time to plan their wedding, Tomoyo." He suddenly looked up, a small look of panic in his azure orbs. "That is...if you two are..."

"Of course they're together, dummy!" Tomoyo exclaimed. Her camera focused on the two once again. "...Right?"

Sakura's smile widened even more and she held on to Syaoran's arm, lovingly. "Of course! Happily in love!"

Syaoran, furiously blushing from head to toe, nodded stiffly. He wasn't used to showing his affection for her with other people around. Back in Hong Kong, his sisters and Meiling and teased him constantly when they'd catch them share a small kiss or hold hands. He would always burst out in blushes. "H-Hai."

Tomoyo squealed in excitement, glad to capture the precious moment on her camera. "Kawaii! Syaoran-kun, you _still_ blush!"

Her statement only made him turn a shade redder.

Eriol smirked and crossed his arms in front of himself. "Well, well, well my cute little descendant. I see you have finally obtained what you have been whining about the whole time you were here."

Syaoran gave the guy a trademark glare and grunted in response. "Sh-Shut up! I was _not_ whining!"

Meanwhile, the other guy was glad that Syaoran hadn't changed in his temper...it was easier to irritate him that way. "I could distinctly remember when-"

Laughing nervously, Sakura interrupted the argument. "Well," she said in a loud voice, "how's Japan? Any exciting news?"

Momentarily forgetting the quarrel, Eriol shrugged. "Everything's pretty much the same. Everyone was more on an edge since you two were gone for a long time though. We were afraid you'd never return."

"What took you guys so long anyway?" Tomoyo asked from behind the camera.

Eriol's eyebrows rose. "You guys _were_ gone for a month." A smile arose on his lips. "Was Spinel right then? Did you guys elope?" He broke into a fit of laughter.

Tomoyo squealed as the other couple blushed. Eloping? Wh-What an absurd idea! They were only teenagers! They had only been a couple for only less than a month!

"You and your stupid imagination, Eriol." As soon as he said it, everyone became rather quiet. Syaoran could hardly believe it. He had just blurted out that guy's first name without thinking. He had never called him Eriol. Never...  
He saw the look of shock on his friend's face slowly melt into a slight smile.

"Since when were we on first name basis, Syaoran?" Eriol asked quietly and hopefully. Had Syaoran finally forgiven him for leaving him alone with his responsibilities all those years ago? Did Eriol no longer have to feel guilty for leaving him friendless and with no one to turn to? Did Syaoran finally think of him as at least a pleasant acquaintance instead of an irritable reincarnation of Clow who was a horrible person?

Did Syaoran no longer hate him?

The brown haired teen sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. He knew that Eriol was sorry for leaving him by himself and friendless. Eriol had always apologized and Syaoran had never accepted it. He used to be filled with contempt for the stupid sorcerer...but now...honestly...

Syaoran let out a chuckle. The whole thing was ironic and he felt stupid just thinking about it but he had to say it. "Since we became best friends, Eriol."

The girls immediately let out the breaths they were holding and Eriol stood there in shock. He had been expecting maybe "pals" or "buddies" or "acquaintance" but never _best friend_. Syaoran really thought that?

It made sense when Eriol thought about it. Syaoran knew no other guy their age very well except Eriol and every guy needed a best friend, neh?

Eriol gave a fake, teary cry and crushed the other teen with a not-so-manly hug. He gave a girly sob as he felt Syaoran pushing him off. "Ah, Syao-chan! At last you and I are finally friends!"

"You baka!" the Chinese boy yelled as he pried the annoying guy off. "I'll take it back!"

Yes...Eriol was his best friend. He had been with him when he had fallen in love with Sakura and had given Syaoran advice and comfort. And about all those years ago...Syaoran knew there was nothing Eriol could have done. And if that hadn't happened, he was very aware that Eriol would've probably become his best friend anyway.

Yes...an annoying, irritating, frustration, stupid best friend...but a best friend none the least.

Eriol laughed as he parted from the enraged Li. "My dear descendant," he said, "you better not treat Sakura as forcefully as you do with me." He wiggled his eyebrows. "You probably do. Tsk, tsk. Forcing a lady to do intimate things is not very polite, Syaoran!"

Syaoran's amber eyes flashed. "Why you-!"

Before he could jump at him and claw the poor guy's eyes out, Sakura held him back by touching his arm. She sweat dropped. She guessed even if they _were_ best friends, they would still act this way. But she was glad that Eriol and Syaoran were friends. And even it didn't seem like it, they really did respect each other. This was just their weird way of showing it.

Guys are weird...

"So what did you guys do for a whole month?" Tomoyo asked curiously. "You could have at least called us back."

Eriol nodded. "We called a hundred times."

Sakura and Syaoran glanced at each other with a smile on their faces. "Well, we waited until Yelan-san got completely better and spent time with Meiling and Syaoran's sisters," Sakura explained.

"And..." Syaoran paused, looking at them happily. "I took care of some important business."

The camera zoomed in on his face. "What sort of important business?"

The Li grinned widely, giving them the happiest smile they had ever seen. "I live here now. I opened a branch of the company in Tomoeda."

Tomoyo squealed in excitement once again as Eriol broke into a smile. "That's great, Syaoran!" the raven haired girl said, giving him a small hug.

"Now he won't ever have to leave home again," Sakura said, beaming. She hugged him tightly, loving the way he would gently hug back.

Syaoran was here to stay.

Eriol cleared his throat and led the camera-crazed girl away while she protested loudly. "We'll meet up with you guys later. Maybe we could go to the movies or something. Right now, I gotta pry this little lady away before she starts naming all your future children."

Walking away from the couple, Tomoyo pouted as Eriol pulled her gently along by her arm, her camera still recording. "Aw, but Eriol!"

He smiled and looked down at her giving her a brief kiss on the lips to shut her up. "We have to leave the couple alone for now, Tomoyo. You can record them all you want later."

She sighed in response and turned off the camera in her hands. "Alright...But did you see how happy they were, Eriol? They're both glowing!"

He nodded as they walked, a proud, slight smile on his face. "They sure are." He was glad that things had worked out. He and Syaoran were friends, he and Tomoyo were in love, Syaoran and Sakura had found each other and it felt as if Syaoran no longer had those internal problems inside himself anymore.

Everything seemed perfect.

Tomoyo looked up at her boyfriend's joyful expression and smiled. "You were right all along, Eriol. They _are_ perfect. It's fate, I tell ya!"

Eriol grinned wider and nodded. Yes. Fate. This whole thing was fate. Him and Tomoyo...Syaoran and Sakura.

This was how it was supposed to be.

And it felt great.

-

Sakura and Syaoran stood, embracing each other as Eriol and Tomoyo walked away. Sakura looked around her surroundings and laughed. "What's with us and parks?"

He chuckled, looking into her delighted emerald eyes. "That's true." Every time something important had happened between them, it had always been in a park. "But anywhere's fine with me really," he said huskily, closing in on her lips.

She immediately felt that familiar spark of joy as their lips touched for a brief minute. Pulling away, she looked at him, smiling vibrantly. "So what shall we do on our first day back, hm?"

Syaoran blushed a deep crimson. "S-Sakura...you make it sound like we're a married couple."

She smiled slyly, loving how he never seemed to get over the habit of blushing, and whispered in his ear. "Well, that's the next step..."

"Sakura! We're only in high school!" But man...getting married with this girl...he could only imagine how happy he would feel. And the name still replayed in his mind: Li Sakura, Li Sakura, Li Sakura. Furthermore, with her as his wife he could do many, _many_ things –

Sakura giggled loudly, a red tint showing up on her face. "Syaoran! You have a dirty mind."

He chuckled deeply. So she had felt what he was feeling again, eh? Well...he didn't mind. Sometimes it seemed like they didn't need the whole _bond_ thing anymore. They already understood each other completely just by looking into each other's eyes. "So how does it feel to be back home?"

She looked up at him cheerily, her face radiating. "I should be asking you the same question."

_Home_. In Tomoeda, Japan. With Sakura. With Eriol and Tomoyo. With all their other friends...

He kissed her feverishly while he responded.

"Feels great."

**THE END **


End file.
